Run For Your Life (Rewrite)
by Taste of Mediocrity
Summary: Santana is in an abusive marriage. A shocking discovery causes her to finally take her kids and leave. She ends up in Lima where she meets Quinn Fabray. AU Quinntana.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here's the rewrite. Enjoy!**

 **-ToM**

 **Chapter 1**

"SANTANA!" His booming voice shocks me out of my trance. I immediately run downstairs not wanting to keep him waiting for too long.

"Y-yes?" I answered nervously, scared to know what he's so angry about. It takes a lot for me to not just curl up in a corner whenever he yells at me.

"Why aren't the children bathed and ready?! I told you we were meeting my parents for dinner at 7! What time is it?"

I open my mouth to answer but not fast enough so he asks again, this time angrier.

"WHAT TIME IS IT?!"

"It's 6:03." I mutter keeping my head down. I don't want to make him madder so I immediately apologize and turn to go get the kids ready. "I'm s-sorry, I'll go and g-"

Before I can get to the bottom of the stairs he grabs my arm hard and squeezes. "We better not be late." He says it so eerily calm that I pale instantly and my eyes begin to water.

"Mami I want candy!" I quickly wipe my eyes as I hear Callie yell running towards me.

"No mija. We have to get you and your brother ready to see bunic and bunica." I say as I pick her up and carry her to the bathroom. "Costa, sweetie, come on it's time to get dressed." I call over to Callie's twin brother who is sitting in the middle of the room playing with his toys.

They are my little angels. Costica and Callista, my sweet babies. They are the only reason I haven't given up. I'm going to get them out of here. I just have to wait until football season starts. He plays for the Miami Dolphins. I figured I'd leave while he's at one of his away games. I've been saving up a little money here and there in small amounts so Adrian doesn't notice. If he ever found out, he'd probably kill me. I also have the trust funds that my abuela left for me and the kids before she died. I don't have access to it until my 25th birthday which is next year. Adrian doesn't know about the trust funds and I'm so glad he doesn't.

"Mami is daddy mad at you?" Costa asks quietly, looking at me through his dark hair with his piercing green eyes, as I bathe them both. He's always worrying about me. I swear he knows what's going on in my head sometimes. It's scary.

"No baby. He's just excited to see his mom and dad."

"Will bunic give me candy?! He always has candy mami!" Callie exclaims.

"I don't know sweetheart. If he does have candy you'll have to ask daddy first if you can eat it." I tell her even though Adrian hardly ever tells either of the kids no. Especially not to Callie. He can never say no to her big brown eyes.

"Okay." She says with a big smile on her face knowing that she's going to get candy.

I finish getting the twins dressed and hurry down the stairs with them trailing behind me. I check the time to see that it is 6:41. Adrian is waiting at the door with a blank expression on his face. We make our way to the car and I silently pray that we get there on time.

* * *

When we arrive at his parents' home I immediately glance at the clock on the dashboard. It's 7:01. We're late. I take a chance and look over at Adrian and I can see in his eyes that he is angry. I swallow the lump in my throat and blink away the tears that are forming. He gets out of the car and slams the door, leaving me to get the twins.

I take a deep breath and get the kids. We head inside and the twins run to their grandparents. Florina and Vladimir Dumitrescu are some of the sweetest people I have ever met. It baffles me that their son is such a monster.

"Sorry we're late. Santana here just seems to take forever to get ready. I swear she changed her outfit at least four times." Adrian says while smiling at me like he adores me. He puts on this act any time we're in public. He should have become an actor instead of a football player. "She looked great in all of them in my opinion but you know sometimes she's a bit picky. Right baby?"

"Umm y-yeah, I just couldn't decide." I answer quickly with a nervous smile.

"Oh nonsense Adrian. We don't have to start at exactly 7:00 and sweetheart you look just as gorgeous as always." Florina says to me with her thick Romanian accent.

"Yeah, I mean if I wasn't married I'd defi-", Vladimir starts before he's cut off by his wife.

"Vlad!" She yells while playfully swatting at him.

"Ouch! I was kidding Flo. You know you're the only woman for me." He says while he winking at me. Flo hits him again, mumbling something in Romanian and I can't help but smile in aww at how sweet and playful their relationship is.

"Bunic! Do you have candy?" Callie asks.

"Callie, sweetie, ask daddy first." I remind her.

"Daddy can I please have candy? Pleeeaaassseeee?" She begs.

"Hmm I don't know. Maybe if you give me a biiiiiiig kiss." Adrian says. He's so nice to the children it still surprises me after 5 years.

She happily obliges. "Now can I have candy?" Adrian nods his head and she practically tackles Vlad when he pulls some candy out of his pocket. He holds out a piece for Costa as well.

"Do you need any help with dinner?" I ask Flo as she heads into the kitchen.

"Sure dear. I always accept free help." She laughs. "So the twins are starting school this year right?"

"Yep. They start kindergarten next month in August."

"You're going to have so much free time you won't know what to do with yourself. Have you thought about working?" She asks.

"I know. It's going to be so lonely with the kids at school." I sadly reply. I was going to answer her question but as soon as I opened my mouth, Adrian's voice makes me snap it shut.

"No she hasn't thought about working ma. We've been talking about having another baby." I almost dropped the plate I was holding when those words came out of his mouth. I turned around to busy myself with silverware so Flo couldn't see the shocked look on my face.

"Oh my goodness! That's wonderful!" Flo states. "I've always wanted a bunch of grandchildren. Oh what if you have twins again? That would be amazing!"

She keeps rambling as we finish making the rest of the plates. We bring the food to the table and begin eating. Adrian and his father are sitting at opposite ends of the table. Flo is to Vlad's left while Costa is on his right next to me. Callie is on Adrian's right, directly in front of me.

I eat quietly, only speaking when spoken to. My mind is racing. I'm still stuck on what Adrian said to his mother. I can't bring another child into this world with him. I just can't.

Once dinner was finished, I helped wash and put the dishes away. Adrian and I said our goodbyes and headed home.

* * *

When we pull up in our driveway and I remember that I made us late. I don't even try to look at Adrian. I know he's angry. I reach for the door handle and he grabs my forearm and squeezes it hard.

"You will put the kids to bed and then you'll meet me in the basement. Make it quick. You know I don't want to wait long." He says. Unlike earlier, I can hear the anger in his voice this time. I nod quickly and get out.

I get the kids and put them to bed. They were already asleep in the car so I just had to change them into their pajamas and tuck them in. I do it as fast as possible and make my way to the basement.

As I walk down the stairs to the basement, I see him standing in the middle of the room with his arms cross and an angry look on his face. I mentally prepare myself for what I know is coming next.

"So do you want to explain to me why the kids weren't ready to go when they should have been?" He asks.

"I-I took too long in the shower." I lie while staring at the ground. I couldn't tell him I was thinking about how I was going to get me and the kids out of here for obvious reasons. "But your parents didn't mind that we were a little late."

I regretted my words as soon as they came out of my mouth. His nostrils flared and his eyes bulged as he walked towards me. He backhanded me. I fell to the ground clutching my face.

"You stupid bitch! My parents didn't mind?! It isn't about them minding! It's about being punctual and fucking polite!"

He pulled me up by my hair and threw me against the wall. I laid there and he walked over and kicked me. Then he grabbed me and punched me in the stomach.

"Now get cleaned up and meet me in the bedroom. I meant what I said earlier. You are not going to work." He says calmly as if we were just having a civil conversation. He walks out and leaves me lying on the floor.

I lay there in pain for a bit before I go take a shower. Luckily he has a shower installed in the basement because he doesn't want the kids to see me after he hits me.

As I'm showering I finally let my tears fall. I think about how I ended up in this situation.

* * *

 ** _Flashback_**

 _"_ _Fuck." I mutter under my breath. I have no idea where I am and this map isn't making any sense._

 _I'm walking around staring at this map trying to find the mathematics building. It's my first day at Arizona State and I'm already late to my first class. I'm still walking with my face in the campus map when I walk into something big and solid._

 _"_ _What the fu-"_

 _"_ _Sorry are you alright?" I looked up to see green eyes studying me._

 _"_ _Yeah sorry about that, I was trying to find the math building using this seemingly useless map." I answered._

 _"_ _No problem. You're actually pretty close. I can show you where it is if you'd like." The green eyed boy said to me. "I'm Adrian by the way." He smiled._

 _"_ _I'm Santana." I replied with a shy smile._

* * *

 _After he showed me to my class, which I passed twice on my journey, we exchanged numbers and eventually started dating. He was a senior and one of the best offensive linemen in the country and was double majoring in Business and Sports Medicine. I was studying to get my bachelor's degree in Mathematics._

 _Toward the end of my freshman year, I realized that our relationship wasn't going anywhere so I was going to end things with him. Then I found out I was pregnant. I wasn't sure what to do. I called my parents and told them the news. They weren't too thrilled at first but became excited at the idea of being grandparents. I told them that I wanted to break up with Adrian but they weren't having it. They didn't want me to have to raise a child on my own. They told me that I needed to tell him and that we needed to get married. I would not be an unwed mother. Oddly enough, Adrian was on board with the idea of marriage. He wanted to marry me as soon as possible._

* * *

 _We got married when I was 3 months pregnant. Adrian graduated and was drafted to the Miami Dolphins. We moved to Miami shortly after his graduation. During one of the training camps, he tore the PCL in his left knee and couldn't play anymore. Then he became very angry and controlling. He used his degrees to get an internship with a sports agent, before venturing out to open his own, very successful agency. He told me I was done with school. 'You don't need a degree to take care of my children.' Those were his exact words. I wasn't allowed to go anywhere without him. Except for the grocery store and the bathroom, which quickly became my sanctuary. It was the only place I had to myself for however long I was able to hide out in there. He would get very angry sometimes but he had never laid a hand on me while I was pregnant._

 _The first time he hit me was a few months after the twins were born. He wanted to have sex but I wasn't in the mood so I told him I wasn't feeling well. He slapped me and slammed me on the bed and had his way with me. I knew he was drunk because I smelled the alcohol on his breath. I just tried to close my eyes until it was over but he was too rough. The pain was too much and I eventually passed out._

 _I woke up sore the next morning. Adrian made me breakfast and apologized to me. He moved in to give me a kiss on my temple and I froze. As soon as I was done with breakfast, I ran upstairs to the bathroom and locked the door. I leaned against it and slid down to the floor. I sat there and cried until I heard Adrian leave for work._

* * *

 **Translations**

 **Bunic/bunica – grandpa/grandma**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I wake up and immediately reach for the painkillers that I know are waiting for me with a glass of water on the bedside table. I swallow the pills then chug the water. I slowly make my way out of bed and into the kitchen where I know another 'apology breakfast' is waiting for me.

Costa is at the table cutting up his pancakes as neatly as possible while Callie is stuffing her face with as much food as she possibly can.

"Slow down angel, your food isn't going anywhere." I hear Adrian tell her. "Good morning beautiful." He says to me but I don't look at him. I keep my eyes focused on the kids.

"Good morning." I smile at the kids. "Good morning babies."

"Morning mami." Costa looks up at me with a toothy smile.

"I'm not a baby mami!" Callie pouts.

"Oh you're not?" Adrian asks. She shakes her head in response because her mouth is too full to speak. "That's too bad because I had a surprise for my babies today but I guess it's just for Costa now."

"No daddy! I want a surprise! I want a surprise! I'm still a baby, look!" She starts sucking her thumb.

"Callie don't suck your thumb." I try to say sternly but I can't help but smile at her antics.

"What's the surprise daddy?" Costa asks.

"Well, since daddy gets to stay home with you and mami today, I was thinking we could all go do something fun." Adrian looks over to me. "What do you think sweetheart?"

"Umm well Sarah and I planned on taking the kids to the park today. I didn't know you would be home. I-I'll just call her to reschedule." I reply looking down at my plate. Sarah is our neighbor. It's been a while since I spent time with her. She and her husband Sam have a 4 year old son named Jackson. They're a nice enough couple but Adrian isn't too fond of Sam. Sam is one of the agents at the firm and he thinks he stares at me too long whenever we see them. He also thinks Sarah talks too much.

"No it's fine. I'll just join you." He says as I hear him get up from the table.

"Yay! We gonna go to the park!" Callie cheers and Costa smiles but it falters as he seems to notice something.

"What happened to your lip mami? You fell?" My eyes widen at the question. The kids aren't ever supposed to see any of my cuts and bruises.

"Santana, can you help me find something in the basement." Adrian says as he walks out of the kitchen.

"C-coming." I reply nervously. I look over to the kids and say "When you're finished go up to room and play until it's time to get dressed ok?" They both nod and I kiss them on top of their heads as I leave.

* * *

Adrian was upset that I made plans with Sarah without his permission and the fact that the kids noticed my lip didn't help the situation. He yelled at me for a while and promised that he would deal with me when we get back from the park.

"Get the kids ready." He tells me. I nod and head towards the stairs. Before I can reach the bottom step he grabs me by my stomach where he knows it's bruised and squeezes hard. I whimper as he turns me around and pulls me into a rough kiss.

When he lets go, I walk up the stairs as fast as I possibly can without running. I look for the twins and find them in Costa's room coloring.

"Costa pick out what you want to where while I bathe your sister." They both look up at me with a confused expression on their faces. Costa nods and Callie and I go through the door that connects their rooms. I let her pick an outfit for the day and we head to the bathroom.

"Mami your eyes are raining! Did you get a boo boo?" Callie asks me with a worried look. My eyes widen as I reach up and touch my cheek and realize that I am in fact crying.

"No mija. I'm just really happy. It's happy rain baby." I reply with what I hope is a smile. The kids are never supposed to see me cry. Ever. My response seems to excite her and she starts to splash around in the bath. "Calmate sweetie."

"Sorry. Why are you happy mami?"

"Because I have the best and cutest kids ever!" I say while tickling her, this time with a genuine smile on my face.

Once I finished bathing the twins I hopped in the shower. I must have forgotten to lock the door because I heard the door open and then the shower door. Adrian gets in behind me and starts kissing down my neck and back. I try to keep myself from trembling while he runs his hands up and down my sides. They eventually end on my breasts and he squeezes them hard.

"W-what about the kids?" I ask hoping that he'll stop.

"They're fine. I told them to stay in their rooms and play until it's time to go. Don't worry about them." He says as he brings his right hand down to my clit and rubs it slowly. "I know you want me baby. Are you ready for me?" He asks as he rubs himself against my ass.

He doesn't wait for an answer. He pushes me against the shower wall and slams himself inside of me. I hiss in pain but I know not to make more noise than that. He continues thrusting into me fast and hard. He grabs my hair and yanks my head back hard. His thrusts become more frantic and uneven so I know he's almost done.

After one long and hard thrust, he empties himself inside of me. He pulls out panting and places a kiss on my shoulder and then my cheek. He turns me around to look at him.

"You know I love you right baby? More than anything." I just nod and he places a soft kiss on my lips and gets out of the shower. "We're leaving soon."

* * *

We meet Sarah and Jackson at the park at around 11:30. She was already there pushing Jackson in one of the swings. He's got the biggest smile I've ever seen on a kid. It takes up nearly half of his face. He definitely got that from Sam. He has the biggest mouth I've ever seen on a human being. It's actually pretty distracting whenever I talked to him.

Jackson's attention is on us when he hears Costa call his name. His smile got even bigger if that's at all possible. Sarah looked over and smiled as well. She took Jackson off the swing and walked over to us. She gives me a hug and I flinch a little when her forearm presses on the side of my stomach where Adrian kicked me. If she noticed she doesn't show it. She greets Adrian politely.

"Hey Sarah." Adrian nods to her. "I'm gonna watch the kids play." He tells me before kissing my cheek and walking towards the playground after the kids.

"We haven't done this in so long. Have you been avoiding me because of what happened last time?" She jokes with a playful smirk that quickly turns into a frown when I don't answer. "Come on San that was like 3 months ago." I look over at the kids and she follows my line of vision then she starts to panic. "Oh my God! Did you tell Adrian? Is that why he's here? He doesn't want me alone with you anymore? Is he gonna tell Sam? Shit shit shit shit shit!" She mutters under her breath.

"What? No! I didn't tell Adrian. He'd k-…" I stop myself before it's too late.

"He'd what San?"

"Umm nothing. He'd be so upset and hurt."

"Right." She says eying me suspiciously. "Look, I'm sorry that I kissed you. I was a little bit drunk and mad at Sam." She grabs my hand and looks me in the eyes. I tried to look away and focus on something else but I just couldn't. "And you were just there for me. I didn't mean to freak you out or anything. I'm really sorry." She finishes with a sad smile.

I get this weird feeling in my stomach. It's the same feeling I got the night she kissed me.

* * *

 ** _Flashback_**

 _I had just finished putting the kids to bed and decided I wanted to watch a movie. I looked through my DVD collection and picked out Sweeney Todd. I love singing along with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. I popped the DVD in and plopped on the couch. As soon as I pressed play I heard a knock at the door. It couldn't be Adrian, he was supposed to be gone the whole week, I thought to myself. As I got closer to the door I heard what sounded like sobs. I checked the peephole and saw Sarah standing there crying her eyes out._

 _"_ _Sarah, what's wrong? Are you ok? Where's Jackson?" I ask as I open the door and pull her inside. "Where's Sam? What happened?"_

 _She just kept crying so I pulled her into the living room and down on the couch with me. I just sat there and held her until she calmed down enough to speak._

 _"_ _Sam is an asshole." She mumbles. Her voice muffled by my shoulder._

 _"_ _Why do you say that love?"_

 _"_ _I asked him if he could cut back his hours at the office so that he could spend more time with me and his son and he got all pissy. Telling me that he has to work so many hours to support my ridiculous shopping habits. Then he insulted my cooking. A-and he said I'm a bad mother!" She started crying again._

 _"_ _Hey shhh. It's ok. You know you're not a bad mother. Jackson loves you so much. You're practically raising him yourself."_

 _"_ _San I think he's cheating on me." She said while sniffling. "What's wrong with me? Am I not pretty enough? Didn't I shed enough weight after I had Jackson?"_

 _"_ _Hey, look at me." I said lifting her chin up to look at me. "You are an amazing mother. You're smart and funny. And you're beautiful Sarah. I doubt that there is anyone who disagrees with me on that. And if Sam can't see that then you don't nee-"_

 _I was cut off by her lips crashing into mine. I sat that there unmoving and in shock before I closed my eyes and started kissing her back. The kiss was so much more passionate and gentle than what I was used to. Adrian never kissed me like this. It felt like my stomach was doing somersaults and backflips. It was an amazing feeling._

 _I snapped back to reality when I felt her hands in my hair. I pulled back from the kiss and just stared at her. She smiled at me and I pushed her off of me and ran into the bathroom._

 _"_ _Santana..." She called after me. She knocked on the bathroom door. "San. Please come out. I'm s-"_

 _"_ _I-I think you should go Sarah."_

 _"_ _San"_

 _"_ _Just go!" I shouted, then continued barely above a whisper. "Please."_

* * *

"Sarah its fine. I've just been spending a lot of time with the kids because they start school next month and I wanted to spend as much time as I can with them." I return her smile. "I'm over it." I lied. "So we don't need to discuss it anymore."

She nods in response and turns to watch Jackson play.

"Mami! Daddy says we gonna get pizza!" Callie runs over and tells me excitedly.

"That's great baby. Where's your brother?"

"He's inside the big slide. He doesn't wanna come out. He didn't even listen to daddy." My head snaps to the slide immediately. I see Adrian at the bottom of the slide probably telling Costa to come down.

As I approach them I can hear Adrian raising his voice.

"Costica, come down right now!"

"I can get him." I say timidly. He turns around to glare at me. "It scares him when you yell."

"Whatever." He huffs and takes Callie to the car.

"Hey mijo it's mami." I say quietly so I don't frighten him. "Come on slide down so we can get pizza. I bet daddy will let you get your favorite kind." I hear a sniffle and immediately start to worry. "Baby are you ok? Are you hurt?"

"N-no." He replies. "I'm scared mami. It's too high." He starts to cry harder now and it breaks my heart.

"Ok baby, what if I come up and go down with you? Will you go down then?"

"I dunno."

"Come on baby I'll protect you and keep you safe. It'll be fun."

"You p-promise?"

"I promise baby." I say as climb the ladder to the slide and Costa is sitting there with his knees against his chest. "Come on. Sit in my lap and we'll go down."

He does as I say and I count to three and we slide down. He starts to laugh when he feels the butterflies in his stomach.

"See it wasn't so bad huh?"

"No it was fun!" He exclaims.

"I told you. Now come on let's go get pizza." I pick him up and carry him to the car where Callie and Adrian are waiting.

After I got the kids settled in the car, I moved to get in car myself. Adrian grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks.

"You need to stop babying him Santana. My son will not be a sissy." He growled in my ear through gritted teeth. I nodded my head quickly and got in the car as soon as he let go.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 ** _1 Month Later_**

I bid farewell to everyone as they leave with a forced smile. I know that once the last person leaves, I'm in trouble. Adrian is furious about what happened earlier.

* * *

 ** _Earlier That Day_**

 _Adrian invited agents, clients, and potential new clients over for a get-together/barbecue to network. Sarah was here with Jackson and Sam but Jackson wasn't feeling well and she went back home. The twins are running around playing with some of the clients and agents' children._

 _I was in the kitchen enjoying a friendly conversation with Andrew, one of Adrian's business partners. He was helping me prepare snacks for the children. I like talking to him. He's one of the few coworkers that I can actually stand to be around because he's very polite and doesn't act like an idiot. He's the perfect gentleman._

 _"Yo Doom!" I hear a potential client shout across the backyard. Everyone calls him Doom because they had trouble pronouncing his last name so they just stopped after the first syllable. If only they knew how fitting that nickname was for him. "If I didn't know any better I'd think Santana was Drew's wife instead of yours."_

 _My heart stops as the rest of the team laughs at what was supposed to be a joke. I knew I was in trouble the second he finished that sentence. I send Andrew out with the snacks and start cleaning up the mess in the kitchen. I chance a look out the window while I'm at the sink and see Adrian glaring at me. If looks could kill, I'd already be in an urn above the fireplace._

 _I look away and continue cleaning. I avoid being alone with him for the rest of the day so that I can at least enjoy the rest of the barbecue. I know that my punishment is going to be worse than anything because I've embarrassed him in front of his clients no less._

* * *

I headed upstairs to check on the twins to make sure they were sleeping alright. Callie was sprawled out across her bed with her blanket twisted up in a ball at her feet. She's such a wild sleeper that no matter how well I tuck her in she always ends up with her blanket at the bottom of her bed. I gave her a peck on her cheek before pulling the blanket out over her again.

I peeked into Costa's room once I was done. He was still neatly tucked in. He hardly ever moved when he was asleep. I pushed some hair off his forehead and gave him a kiss before I made my exit.

As soon as I closed the door and turned into the hallway, I was met with my seething husband. He didn't even wait to go to the basement.

He grabs my arms and slams me against the wall, my head and back make contact with a loud thud. "What the hell were you fucking thinking?! Huh?"

I can practically see smoke coming out of his ears and nose like a raging bull. I don't think I've ever seen him this angry.

"I-I didn't do anything." I managed to get out before his hand latched onto my neck. Before I could even register what was happening, I felt his hand connect with my cheek.

"You didn't do anything?!" He asked incredulously. "You were practically fucking throwing yourself at Andrew!"

"I didn't… I w-wasn't." I stuttered through tears. He punches me in my side and I bite my lip to hold in the yelp that threatened to escape my mouth.

The punches and slaps just kept coming. I was begging and pleading for him to stop until finally I couldn't take anymore. I decided to try and fight back. The look in his eyes when I hit him back was enough to scare a Marine. The next thing I know, I'm tumbling down the stairs.

"MAMI!" I hear as I reach the bottom. I roll over and see Adrian staring at me while Costa is crying his eyes out and slamming his tiny fists into the back of Adrian's legs. Adrian just pushes him back and leaves. He didn't even spare me a glance when he walked by.

I get up and immediately feel a sharp pain in my right arm. I ignore it as I rush up the stairs to Costa and gather him up in my uninjured arm. I hold him as close as possible and try to calm him down.

"Shh, it's okay mijo. Mami's okay." I keep telling him everything is okay until he finally calms down.

"Baby I need you to wake your sister up for me. Can you do that?" He nods and rushes off to wake up Callie. I swear that girl could sleep through a tornado in the middle of her room.

* * *

The twins and I go next door to Sarah's house. I knock on the door and pray they're not asleep yet. About a minute later the door is opened by a sleepy Sarah.

"San?" She asked confused. She rubs her eyes and sees the state I'm in and her jaw drops. "Oh my god! Santana what happened?!"

"I fell down the stairs and I think I may have broken my arm." I state calmly. "Do you think you could give me a ride to the hospital?"

"Y-yeah sure. Let me just grab my coat." She returns and sees the twins looking exhausted. "Umm do you want them to stay here?"

"No." I reply instantly. "No it's fine they can come."

"Alright. Hey where's Adrian? How come he couldn't take you?" She asks as we head to the hospital.

"Uhh he's not home. H-he had to drive some of the guys home because they had too much to drink."

The rest of the ride is silent. Callie fell asleep in the backseat while Costa is in my lap clinging to me for dear life. I rubbed his back and kissed his forehead as he sniffled into my neck.

* * *

We're sitting in the emergency room when suddenly Sarah places her hand on my shoulder and I nearly jump out of my seat.

"Shit sorry is your shoulder hurt too?"

"No it's fine, you just scared me." I reply shakily.

"San what really happened?" She asks, now fully awake, after her eyes scanned my body.

"I already told you, Sarah. I fell down the stairs." I said while keeping my eyes glued to the floor.

"So the falling down the stairs made that handprint on your neck too? Santana, if Adrian di-" She was cut off by the nurse calling my name. I got up and tried to put Costa down but he wouldn't let me go.

"Baby I have to go so the doctor can make me better okay? I'll be right back I promise." He just shook his head no and tightened his hold on me.

"Mijo please. I need you to look after Callie and Sarah for me." I whispered. "Protect them." He pulled back slightly and looked in my eyes for what seemed like forever then he nodded and gave me a kiss. He then sat next to Sarah and his sleeping sister.

* * *

"So Ms. Lopez would you like to tell me what happened?" The doctor asks as she takes my vitals. I used my maiden name because people always recognize Dumitrescu as it's not very common.

"Yeah, I umm, I was walking down the hall when I tripped and fell down the stairs." The doctor hums in response, looking at me skeptically. "I think I may have broken my arm."

"Okay well I'm going to give you an X-ray to see if it actually is broken and then we can discuss whether or not you're going to press charges." She states nonchalantly as she checks my vitals and takes my blood.

My eyes widen in shock. "W-what? What are you talking about? I-I can't press charges on stairs." I stammer.

"Look you don't have to say anything right now but a tumble down the stairs doesn't cause that." She said pointing to my neck. I immediately reach up to cover it. "We can talk about it after your x-ray."

* * *

After the X-ray the doctor put a cast on my arm and had me wait in her office so that we could talk.

She comes back in with a few papers and pamphlets in her hands and gives me a sympathetic smile.

"It would seem that congratulations are in order." She stated while looking at the papers.

"W-what do you mean?" I asked hesitantly not knowing what she's talking about.

"Your blood work came back Ms. Lopez, you're pregnant." I feel all the blood drain from my face as I process her words. I shake my head continuously while muttering under my breath.

"No. No no no. I-I can't be! I can't. N-" I nearly jumped out of my seat when I felt a hand on my knee.

"Ms. Lopez please calm down."

"I have to go." I say standing abruptly, almost knocking over my chair. "Thank you doctor. Goodbye."

"Ma'am you really should consider pressing charges."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I say as I open the door to leave.

"Wait!" She exclaims. She holds a small piece of paper in front of me. "Your prescription for prenatal vitamins. I really hope you -"

"Thank you." I interrupt her and leave.

* * *

Costa runs up to me clinging on tightly as I step back in the waiting room. Sarah grabs Callie and we go to the car.

"San"

"Please just take us home. I don't want to talk about this, not in front of the children."

"San there's no way I'm letting you guys stay there tonight! I'm gonna book a hotel room and we're gonna stay there."

"I just need to grab some clothes for me and the kids. And you don't need to stay with us at the hotel."

"I know I don't have to. I want to."

I just nod and lean my head against the window.

The ride home was just as quiet as the ride to the hospital. The only noise being Callie's occasional soft snores.

* * *

"Are you sure you should go in alone?" Sarah asks with worry etched all over her face.

"Don't worry. He's not home. I don't know where he went when he left but he probably won't be back until morning." She squeezes my hand and nods.

I go into the house and head straight for the box that has my secret stash of money I have along with the fake documents and IDs for me and the twins. I had them made a few weeks ago when he was away on business because I had planned on leaving Adrian next month when he left for his next trip. I grab 3 suit cases and fill them with some of the twins' clothes and my own. I grab another bag and put some of their toys in it.

I look around my room to see if I missed anything. My eyes land on my jewelry box. I put that in the bag too. Adrian always bought me expensive jewelry, I could sell it for more cash.

Once I'm sure that I have everything, I head back to the car.

"All set?" Sarah asks. I nod with a small smile. "I'm gonna leave a note for Sam. I'll be right back."

I grab her arm as she reaches for the handle. "Don't, umm please don't tell him about this."

"Don't worry San. I won't." She replied. "Be right back."

* * *

Once we get to the hotel, I tuck the kids in and Sarah pulls me into the bathroom. Before I can question her, she pulls me into a painfully tight hug. It isn't until I feel her shaking that I realize she's crying.

"Was this the first time?" She asks with a shaky voice. I shake my head no and she starts crying harder. "Why didn't you tell me San?! I could have helped you!"

I don't say anything back. I just sink further into the hug.

"How long?" I look at her confused so she elaborates, pulling back to look me in the eyes. "How long has he been hitting you Santana? Did it start because of the kiss? Did he find out?"

I shift my gaze to anywhere other than Sarah until she grabs my chin to face her. "How long San?" She asks softly.

"A few months after the twins were born was the first time." I answer so quietly I'm not even sure if she heard me.

"Oh my god Santana I'm sorry." She says as more tears fill her eyes. "I'm so sorry I didn't help you."

"It's ok don't apologize. You couldn't have known, I hid it well."

"First thing in the morning we're going to the police sta-"

"No."

"But San,"

"I just want to sleep. Please." I plead. She nods her head and walks me out of the bathroom to the bed opposite the twins. She pulls me into the bed with her and holds me impossibly close.

I wait until I feel her breathing even out to remove her arm from my waist. I get out of bed and wake the twins quietly. I know they're tired and I feel so bad about it but I have them grab a bag and we leave the room. I left a note for Sarah along with cash to reimburse her for the hotel room. I ask the front desk when the next shuttle to the airport was coming and he said they run every 20 minutes.

* * *

I went to the ticket booth and asked when the next flight was and where it was going. I was told it was in an hour going to Lima, Ohio.

I've never heard of it, so it seemed like the perfect place to escape to. I bought three tickets and went through security and waited until it was time to board the plane.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Mami I'm hungry." Callie tells me while she and Costa are jumping on the bed. We've been staying in this motel for the past two days. It's beginning to feel cramped. I need to find an apartment for us soon.

"I know baby, just give me a second to get dressed." I let out a sigh as I struggle to get my shirt over my cast. "And you two stop jumping on the bed."

"Where's daddy?" Callie has been asking me this since we landed. Costa looks at me with a sad expression and then rushes over to give me a hug.

"How about we go to the park today?" I ask, avoiding the question once again. I know she misses him but I just can't raise another child in that home. I just can't. "Come on, we can go get breakfast and then go to the park we saw yesterday near the diner." This time, Callie gives me a big hug, then we head out.

* * *

"Be careful and make sure that mami can see you." I tell them both. "I'll be sitting right here on this bench." I plant kisses on each of their foreheads before I let them run off towards the playground.

As I sit there, I think about all the things I still need to take care of. I have to check them into school, find an apartment, find a job, and call my parents.

I'm not sure if I should do that last one though. I don't think that they'd approve of me just leaving. I'm not even sure what to say to them. Maybe I should have just went to them in the first place. No. No, that's the first place Adrian would look.

I was startled out of my thoughts by someone clearing their throat. The sound causing me to jump.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I was just asking if I could share the bench with you." The person said.

I turned to see a blonde woman silhouetted by the sun. If I didn't know any better, I'd think she was an angel. I couldn't seem to form any coherent words so I settled with nodding and giving her what I hope was a smile. She smiled back and took a seat. I watched out of the corner of my eye as she pulls out a book and a highlighter and begins reading. Eventually she stops and turns to face me.

"Which one is yours?" She asks me, closing her book. "Mine is the blonde one in the princess costume. She'll be five in two weeks." She says with the biggest smile on her face. I can't help but smile back.

"The boy with dark, curly hair all over his head and the girl with the long, dark hair playing with your daughter actually. They're both five."

"Aww twins! I'm Quinn, by the way." She says while holding her hand out.

"Santana." I reply, shaking her hand.

"You're new around here aren't you? I've never seen you around."

"Umm yea, just got here a couple days ago."

"Your husband get transferred out here for work or something?"

"No." I answer too quickly.

"Oh, it's just many people don't just come to Lima for no reason. Hell, most of us are trying to get out of here." She laughs.

"I see. Well I just wanted to, I guess you could say, to start over."

"Well good luck." She says with a smile. "So where are the twins going to school?"

"I don't know yet. I didn't do much planning before we came here. I didn't think we actually would." I answer thankful for the change of subject.

"Well I'm sure Lima Elementary still has a few openings. I could check and let you know."

"Thank you so much. That would be great."

"Mami, can Beth come over so I can show her my princess dollies? Please please please?" Callie asks, racing towards me with Quinn's daughter.

"Maybe when we're more settled in Beth can come over. Okay Callie?" I say, preparing myself for Callie's tantrum. She tries to give me the puppy eyes but I regretfully shake my head. Then she crosses her arms, sticks out her bottom lip, and furrows her eyebrows.

"You're mean, I want daddy." She all but shouts. That hurt. Quinn must have seen the hurt flash through me because she jumps in to save the day.

"Hey Callie, how about this? You and your brother can come over to my house and Beth can show you all her toys and then next time she can go to your house. Is that okay with you?" Callie's smile returns as she nods. "Is that okay with you?" She asks again, this time directed at me. I give her a small nod and mouth 'thank you' to her. She smiles in return.

* * *

"Thanks again for inviting us over." I tell Quinn. "It's just we're still living out of a motel and I haven't really been able to go out and look for a place. And-"

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's no problem." She interrupts my rambling, placing a hand on my arm. It feels like my heart stops. My eyes dart to her hand. She notices this and immediately pulls away with a nervous chuckle. "Umm, so anyway, where are you from?" She asks changing the subject.

"Massachusetts." I reply, remembering the information that's on my fake ID.

"Oh really? I'm a Lima girl, born and raised." She rolls her eyes and I laugh. "You want anything to drink?"

"Umm, water is fine. Thank you." She disappears into the kitchen while I sit on the couch. Costa jumps into my lap while the girls run to is Beth's room.

"No running Beth!" Quinn yells from the kitchen.

"You don't want to go play mijo?" I ask Costa. He just shakes his head and wraps his arms around my neck. I wince a little because it's still a little sore and bruised. I really hope he doesn't wipe off the makeup on my neck. "What's wrong?"

"I just wanna stay with you mami." I can feel tears burning in the back of my eyes but I keep them at bay. He's been really clingy since everything happened. He barely plays with his sister and always wants to stay close to me. I'm worried that the situation affected him more than I thought.

"Baby, I'll be fine. Go play with the girls and I'll come check on you in a little bit. I'm okay. Everything is okay." I kiss the top of his head and he jumps down and heads to Beth's room.

Quinn comes back in holding two glasses of water and hands one to me.

"Thank you." I smile.

"No problem. So how did you break your arm?" She asks. I hesitate before replying so she adds, "If you don't mind me asking."

"Oh, I f-fell down the stairs." I stutter. "Umm what are you studying? I noticed at the park that you were reading a textbook." I ask changing the subject.

"Psychology. I'm taking courses online." She replies. "It's way cheaper. Plus I still get to spend time with Beth."

* * *

 **Quinn's POV**

"That's nice." There's a hint of sadness in her voice as she replies.

I don't know what it is about her, but she intrigues me. I think she's recently divorced with the way she shot down my suggestion about her husband being transferred. Also when Callie said that she wanted her dad, Santana looked like she wanted to break down and cry.

We continued making small talk. I learned next to nothing about her even though we spent close to an hour talking. She seemed to steer the conversation to my life every time I asked her anything about herself.

I did, however, notice that Costa, her little boy, seemed rather clingy. He came and sat in her lap, hugging her, at least three times within that hour. He barely even looks at me. He just buries his face in Santana's neck and she winces every time he does. It's hardly noticeable when she does but I noticed. Thanks to my psychology classes, I pay a lot of attention to body language.

"We should really get going. Thanks again for allowing us to come over." Santana says.

"Anytime. I'm happy to have you all over whenever you'd like." I reply. She tells the kids it's time to go. "Here, let me have your number so that I can call you about the school and maybe set up a date… to play. A playdate I mean. You know, for the kids."

I finally get myself to stop talking and we exchange numbers and she leaves.

"Did you have fun with Costa and Callie?" I ask Beth as I pick her up and carry her to the couch.

"Yes mommy. Callie is pretty like a princess and she's funny. She said her daddy is a football player like Uncle Finn but he got hurted so he doesn't play no more! I want her to come to my birthday party!" I almost forgot that I was throwing her a party. I guess now I have a reason to call Santana soon. I smile at her but it falters when I realize something.

"What about Costa sweetie? Don't you want him to come too?" I ask. She shrugs.

"He's too quiet. He didn't even wanna play with us. He just kept sitting in his mommy's lap."

"Well maybe he's just shy baby. It wouldn't be fair to invite his sister and not invite him would it?" She shakes her head in response and then runs off to her room. No matter how many times I tell her not to run, she does it anyway.

* * *

 **Santana's POV**

"How does pizza sound for dinner?" I ask the twins as we enter the motel room. I receive eager nods from both of them so I grab the phonebook to order.

Once I place the order, I give the twins a bath so that they're ready for bed after dinner. They play with their toys while we wait. I even join in a bit and play with them.

When the pizza arrived, they put their toys away. After we finished eating, they washed their hands and faces, cleaning off the pizza that missed their mouths. Then I turn on the television and let them watch cartoons before I make them go to sleep.

They both fell asleep before whatever cartoon they were watching went off. I tucked them in and gave them both a kiss before I went to take a shower.

In the shower, I think about how fucked up my life is. Maybe I should have just stayed. I shake my head at the ridiculous thought.

I stay in the shower until I feel the water start to get cold. I put on pajamas and brush my teeth. When I open the door, I nearly trip over something. I look down and see Costa laying in front of the bathroom door.

"What's the matter mijo?"

"I had a nightmare and you weren't in bed." He says, sniffling while wrapping his arms around me. I pull him into me and hug him tight.

"Shh. It's okay. Mami is right here."

"Can I sleep with you?" He asks in a small voice.

"Of course. Of course you can." I carry him over to the pull out couch. I lay him down and turn out the lap next to it. I get into bed and pull him close to me. I cuddle him until the sniffling stops and I feel his breathing even out. I kiss his temple before letting myself drift off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **One Week Later**

 **Santana's POV**

We're out at the mall shopping for Beth's party. Quinn called a couple days after we met and said that Beth insisted on inviting the twins to her party. It's a princess theme, so the kids have to dress up as princes and princesses.

"How about this one Callie?" I show her the green dress and she shakes her head immediately.

"No mami, I want a pink dress! And a tiara! And a wand!"

"Okay mija. Calm down, we'll get your pink dress, with a tiara and a wand." Costa is standing next me, looking down at his feet. "Don't you want to pick out your prince costume mijo?"

"No." He answers quietly.

"Why not? Don't you want to go to the party? There will be cake." I say with a wink as I nudge his shoulder.

"I don't wanna be a prince." He pouts and crosses his arms.

"Oh. Well do you wanna be a princess?"

"Mami, boys can't be princesses!" Callie tells me with what I think is supposed to be a stern look on her face.

"I don't wanna be a princess." Costa says making a face at Callie. "I wanna be a knight so I can protect the queen."

"Baby, you don't have to worry about protecting anyone. It's going to be a party and everyone is going to have fun." I tell him.

"I wanna be a knight mami." He says, giving me puppy eyes.

"Okay, okay. Let's go get your armor."

"And a sword!" He yells enthusiastically.

* * *

Once I bought their costumes and Beth's gift we headed to the diner near the motel we've been staying in. I grab one of the newspapers and we find a booth near the back. I let out a sigh of relief as I sit down. The few hours we spent at the mall took a lot out of me.

I was looking through the real estate section of the newspaper and Costa and Callie were coloring their kid's menu while we waited for our food. A little while later, we were enjoying our food and I was still circling places to check out.

Suddenly someone placed their hands on the table. By the size of them, I assumed they belonged to a large man. I look up slowly to see a man looking down at me.

"I've been seeing you around quite a bit babe." He says reaching over to touch my arm. I flinch and take a breath to calm my nerves but I nearly vomit. He's wearing Adrian's cologne. "I'm Azimio. What's your name beautiful?"

I feel sick to my stomach. I reach into my purse and throw some money on the table. I get up and grab Callie from the booth with Costa following behind her. As I try to walk away he grabs my uninjured arm and I freeze.

"Hey I'm talking to y-" I feel his arm yanked off of me and I push the twins towards the exit, not looking back.

"Leave her alone Adams." I hear as we walk out.

We're rushing back to the motel when I hear someone call after me.

"Hey miss wait up!" It sounds like the same person that pulled that guy off of me but I keep walking with my head down and the twins slightly ahead of me. "Hey wait, you forgot this." He says finally catching up to me and handing me the newspaper I was reading.

I give him a quiet thank you and usher the kids to continue walking.

"I see you're looking for a place to stay." He states as he follows me down the street. "I actually know of a fully furnished apartment not too far from here. It's pretty nice and not too expensive. I can show you now if you want."

I shake my head. I don't trust him. He has no reason to help me and I don't want to put my babies in any danger. I just keep walking.

"Okay then how about I give you my number and if you change your mind, you give me a call." He says while writing his number down on the newspaper. "I'm Noah."

I give him a short nod, he smiles back and walks away.

* * *

We make it back to the motel a few minutes after Noah left.

"Mami I didn't get to finish my chicken strips." Callie pouts.

"I know baby I'm sorry but how about tomorrow you have ice cream for breakfast?" I suggest hoping to stop the tantrum she planned on having. She eagerly nods and starts jumping on the bed. "Callie, I told you no jumping on the bed."

"Sorry." She says quietly.

"It's alright, now come on let's get you two in the bath and ready for bed."

"Can we stay up and watch cartoons?" Costa asks timidly.

"Yes. But only for a little while, Mami's tired."

After the twins have their baths, we watch cartoons until they fell asleep. I hopped in the shower and then went over to the pull out couch and went to sleep.

* * *

I wake up to the twins giggling loudly.

"Shhh. You're gonna wake your mami." I hear.

"Okay daddy." Callie says.

'No. No. No no no no.' I turn my head and see Adrian tickling Costa with Callie on his back. "No." I let out in a barely audible whisper.

Adrian looks at me with nothing but pure evil in his eyes.

"Hey baby," he starts "did you miss me?" My eyes widen and start to water straightaway and he smirks. "Costa, Callie go take your dollies and dinosaurs for a swim in the bathtub. Don't come out until I say so, okay?" The twins grab their toys and go to the bathroom.

"Did you really think you could just take my kids away from me?" He says in an eerily low voice, walking towards me. I shake my head, scooting back on the bed till I reach the edge and have to stand up. "Did you not think I would find you, you stupid slut?"

"No. I-I'm sorry." I cry backing up against the wall. I have nowhere else to go as he closes in on me. "Please I'm sorry!" I shout sliding down the wall and cowering in fear.

"Shut up!" He raises his hand to hit me and brings it down swiftly.

I shoot up out of the bed panting, sweating, and crying. I rush to the bathroom to the toilet and empty the contents of my stomach. When I finally finished, I rinsed my mouth out.

"Mami's sick?" I turn to see Callie standing at the door, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"A little but I'm okay." I tell her as I pull her into a hug. "I'm okay." I repeat while kissing the top of her head.

* * *

 **Quinn's POV**

Beth starts school tomorrow and she's so excited. She hasn't stopped talking about it. I wonder if the twins are as excited as her. I talked to the principal at Lima Elementary and they still have spaces open so Santana enrolled them there. Beth and Costa are in the same class but Callie will be in a different one.

I should ask Santana if she wants to carpool. I pull out my phone and find Santana in my contacts. The phone rings for a while but she finally answers.

"H-hello?" It sounds like she's crying or just finished crying.

"Hey Santana, you alright?" I ask slightly worried.

"Yeah. Yes. I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm uhh, I'm good. I was just calling to see if you wanted to carpool tomorrow. You know, seeing as how the twins are the same age as Beth and they'll probably end up being really good friends and yeah. So do you want to?"

"Oh. Umm I'd love to but I don't have car seats for the twins. I was just going to take them on the bus."

"Why don't we go buy them today? I have to go to the mall anyway so you can just ride with me and get their car seats and anything else you might need." I suggest hopefully.

"I-I can't. I have no one to watch the twins and-" I cut her off.

"You can just bring them to my house and leave them with Beth's babysitter. She's really sweet. I'm sure she wouldn't mind watching them too."

"Are you sure? I don't know if I would be comfortable leaving them with a stranger."

"Come on, do you really think I'd leave Beth with someone I don't trust? I promise they'll be fine." I try to convince her.

There's a long pause before she sighs and answers.

"Okay. I'll go." She pauses again. "Give me an hour."

After I got off the phone with Santana, I called the babysitter and asked if she could also watch the twins. She didn't have a problem with it. She was happy for the extra pay.

* * *

I had just finished getting Beth dressed when there was a knock on the door. As soon as I opened it, Callie comes running in past me.

"Beth!" She shouts, hugging my daughter.

"Callie, you know you can't just run into someone else's house without speaking to them." Santana scorned with a sigh. "I'm so sorry Quinn. She got really excited when I told her she would see Beth today." She says timidly, looking at her feet.

"It's totally fine Santana." I assure her. "Beth was really happy to hear that the twins were coming over too. Come in, Marley should be here soon and then we can go."

She goes and sits on the couch with Costa in her lap. As I was closing the door, Marley calls out to me.

"Hey Quinn." She greets. "Where's the little munchkin?"

"Hey, give me a sec to get her and then you can meet the twins and their mom." I tell her before I head to Beth's room to get the girls. "Beth, sweetheart, you and Callie need to come in the living room for a bit okay." Both of them nod and rush out of the room. "Be careful!" I call after them.

I enter the living room and begin the introductions.

"Santana, this is Marley. She watches Beth for me. She's working to save money for when she goes off to college next year." I explain pointing to Marley. "Marley, this is Santana, she just moved here not too long ago. And these two, are her adorable children, Costa and Callie." I say gesturing to the twins. Callie smiles at her then her and Beth rush back to Beth's room.

Santana gives Marley a small smile and I do a victory dance in my head because I'm pretty sure that means that she is okay with Marley keeping her kids.

"So you ready to go?" I ask Santana. She nods and puts Costa down telling him to go play with the girls and to behave. He shakes his head and grabs onto her uninjured arm.

"I don't wanna stay mami." He says sticking out his bottom lip. "I wanna go with you." His lip starts to quiver and then he's crying. Santana picks him up as quickly as she can with one arm.

"Shh. Mijo don't cry." She whispers, trying to calm him down. "I'll be right back. Me voy a comprar algunas cosas para ti y su hermana para la escuela."

He shakes his head again and starts crying harder, clinging to her even more.

"Baby listen," she starts but I can't hear the last part of what she says but whatever it was worked because he just hugged her one more time and then went to play with his sister and Beth.

"Sorry about that." She tells me.

I tell Marley we'll be back in a couple hours and we leave.

* * *

Santana has been pretty quiet the entire time we've been shopping. We got all the school supplies for the kids and now we're stopping at the food court to eat.

"Do you want anything in particular?" I ask her.

"Hmm, not really, no. Maybe something spicy or salty. Maybe just a lemon." She rattles off as she looks around to see what restaurants are there. I tilt my head, looking at her curiously. She notices and clears her throat. "It doesn't matter, what would- Oh I'm gonna get a burrito and some gelato." She decides suddenly.

She walks over _A Lot O' Gelato_ to get her gelato first. She gets a triple scoop with pistachio, blood orange, and mascarpone. I scrunch my nose at the odd combination and shake my head when she asks if I want some.

We find a seat after we order. Santana ordered a burrito big enough for three people and I end up ordering some Thai food.

As Santana offers me some of her burrito, I hear my phone beep letting me know I have a message. I politely decline and pull my phone out to check it. I frown as soon as I unlock the screen. I had several missed calls and a few messages from Rachel urging me to call back immediately.

"Shit." I mutter under my breath.

"Everything okay?" Santana asks. "Oh god are the kids okay?! Did something happen?!" She asks becoming hysteric.

"No, no calm down. They're fine." I assured her. "I just missed a bunch of calls from my… my friend and she's a bit high-strung and I can tell she's pissed by the last text she sent me. Let me just call her back real quick." She nods and turns her attention back to her burrito.

I call Rachel back and she picks up on the second ring.

" _Quinn! What the hell?! I've been calling you all morning!_ " She shouts into the phone.

"Rach I'm sorry, I didn't h-" I start before she interrupts me.

" _I've been trying to making sure that you remembered to pick me up tomorrow from the airport but you can't even be bothered to answer your phone! What is so important that you had to ignore me? ME! Of all people Quinn. Really?! I called you at least eight times in the last fucking hour!_ "

She's shouting so loud I had to move the phone away from my ear. I look up from the table to see Santana staring at the phone in my hand almost in a trance. Every once in a while she winces when Rachel raises her voice even louder than it already is.

"Rachel!" I cut off her rant. "I didn't answer because I didn't hear my phone. I'm at the mall getting a few things for the party and my phone has been in my purse. And yes I remember that I have to pick you up tomorrow. I'm going straight to the airport after I drop Beth off." I sigh exasperatedly.

It's quiet on her end for a while before she finally says something, in a much quieter tone thank God. " _I'm sorry babe. I just.. I miss you and I thought you were ignoring me._ " I can practically hear her pout over the phone.

"It's fine Rach. I'll see you tomorrow."

" _Bye. I love you._ "

"Love you too." I reply then hang up. "Sorry about that." I say to Santana with a weak smile. She smiles back sweetly and I finish my food.

"How in the world did you finish that whole thing?" I ask her in shock. I didn't even finish my food and I'm positive I didn't have nearly as much as she did.

She shrugs with a shy smile, rubbing the back of her neck. She gathers all the trash and goes to throw it away. I pulled my phone and called Marley to check on the kids. She told me they were fine and were taking a nap.

I looked around for Santana noticing that she still hadn't come back from the trash. I saw a big guy leaning on the trash bin. It looked like he was talking to someone so I got up and looked around him. I saw Santana standing there looking extremely uncomfortable. I soon realized that the guy was Azimio Adams.

* * *

 **Santana's POV**

I'm a little embarrassed when Quinn comments on how much food I ate. I can't help it, I get really hungry when I'm pregnant. I immediately get up to take our stuff to the trash.

I just sat our trays on top of the bin but freeze when I feel a presence next to me.

"We can't keep running into each other like this sweet cheeks." I turn to see the guy from the diner leaning against the trash. "It must be destined for us to go out." He says wiggling his eyebrows and winking.

I want to walk away but my legs don't seem to work. I look to the ground and keep my eyes down.

"Come on now babe, no reason to act shy." He says brushing my hair out of my face and then resting his hand on my shoulder.

Suddenly I feel like I can't breathe. Quinn comes out of nowhere slapping his hand off of my arm.

"Azimio, can't you see she's uncomfortable?" I hear her say. "Get out of here and learn how to take no for an answer."

"She didn't exactly say no, did you babe?" He says addressing me with a smirk.

"Get the hell out of here now!" Quinn growls. He raises his hands and walks away still smirking.

She then turns to me, grabs my good hand and places it on her chest. "Santana, I need you to follow my breathing okay?" She inhales deeply and then exhales. "In, out. In, out."

She repeats as I try to mimic her breathing. I can't seem gain control of my breathing and I feel myself start to fall to the floor.

"Shit. Come on San stay with me." I hear Quinn as she tries to catch me before everything goes black.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Santana's POV**

I open my eyes to an almost blinding light and shut them right away. I hear a steady beeping and open my eyes again, slowly this time.

As my eyes adjusted I realize that I am in the hospital. Everything that happened comes back to me and I'm suddenly nauseous.

I sit up a little too quickly and feel dizzy. I tried to hold the vomit in as I reached down to press the nurse call button. I was not successful as seconds later I threw up over the side of the bed.

A nurse comes rushing in soon after that.

"Oh sweetie. Are you okay?" She asks softly picking up the cup of water on the table next to me.

I nod taking a sip of water. The nurse checks all the machines and my chart before telling me that the doctor will be in shortly.

"I'll get someone to clean that up and bring you some crackers to settle your stomach dear." She tells me as she walks to the door.

"Thank you." I reply quietly.

I sit there wondering where Quinn is as the janitor sprinkles sand over the mess.

I look towards the door when I hear someone knock. A blonde woman in lab coat walks in. Her glasses perched on her nose as she reads over a file. She looks up at me and smiles.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Fabray. How are you feeling?" She asks.

"I'm fine. I just felt a little dizzy and nauseous when I tried to get up too fast." I respond looking at my hands. She hums in response.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions while I check a few things." I nod and she put her stethoscope on. She places it on back and instructs me to take a few deep breaths. "So what happened before you fainted?" She asks while taking my blood pressure.

"My breathing became shallow and Quinn tried to get me to copy her breathing but it wasn't working. I felt myself falling down but she caught me before I hit the ground."

"Good thing she caught you, I wouldn't have wanted to have to treat a head wound as well." She writes something down. "What caused you to hyperventilate?"

"I umm this guy was bothering me and m-made me nervous."

"Hmm. Has this happened before? Hyperventilating and then fainting?"

I shake my head in response and she asks me a few more questions, some about my cast. Then she asks a question I wasn't expecting at all for some reason.

"Are you pregnant?" She asks and I freeze. She looks at me expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"Yes." I mumble.

"What was that?" she asks not hearing what I said.

"Yes." I said a little louder this time. "I'm about 2 months along."

"I see." She says writing something else down. "That cast seems pretty new. How did that happen?" I look down at my arm.

"I... fell down the stairs about a month ago and that's when I found out I was pregnant." I say. "But nothing is wrong with the baby. They checked and everything is fine." I add hurriedly.

"Have you been taking prenatal vitamins?" I shake my head in shame.

"I-I have... had a prescription but I lost it." I say changing up quickly because I remembered that my real last name was on that prescription and not Cruz like my ID says.

"Well we'd better get you a new one and get it filled right away then." She says with a smile as she walked towards the door. "In the meantime, make yourself comfortable. I'll be back in to check on you in a few hours."

"Wait, I can't leave now? I have to get my children. I need to go now." I say desperately.

"I just want to keep you under observation for a bit longer. I promise it won't be longer than two hours. And there's no need to worry about your kids, Quinn went home to check on them she should be back soon actually."

I sigh loudly as she walks out. I lay back staring at the ceiling. I end up falling asleep for about an hour until I heard the door open. I look to the door and see Quinn.

"Hey." She smiles.

"Hi."

"I'm glad you're okay. My sister told me you can go home in a little while." She says and I look at her confused.

"Your sister?" I ask her.

"Yeah." She laughs. "My big sis Frannie is your doctor."

"Oh."

"Yep. Oh by the way, I went back to the mall and got the car seats for the twins. I just got them the same one I got for Beth. I hope that's alright."

"You didn't have to do that. I could have just walked them to school tomo-"

"There's no way I'd let you walk them to school after you just passed out Santana." She says cutting me off.

"Well let me pay you back at least." I say grabbing my purse off the table.

"San, you don't have to. It's fine." She states placing her hand on mine to stop me from rummaging through my purse. I pause, staring at our hands before clearing my throat and looking away.

"Are the kids alright? Are they still with the babysitter? Did you tell them I was in the hospital?" I fire out question after question.

"They're fine." She says, finally removing her hand. "I sent Marley home and had Beth's dad take them out for ice cream."

"Beth's dad?" I ask.

"Yes. There's no need to worry. He just wants to spend as much time as possible with Beth before he leaves. He's a good guy."

"I wish you would have asked me before sending my babies off with some strange man." I unintentionally snap.

"I-I'm sorry." Quinn says, shocked at my tone.

"No I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. I just... I've never been away from them this long and I just want to get out of here."

"I'll uhh, I'll go see if you can go."

"Thank you."

A few minutes later, Dr. Fabray comes in smiling.

"Ready to go?" I nod. "Well here's your prescription, you can get everything at the pharmacy in town. Now you need plenty of rest and try not to get too worked up about things okay?"

I nod again and proceed to get up to get dressed.

"Oh and I set up an appointment for you for next week to check up on the little one in there." She smiles pointing at my stomach. She walks out, leaving me to put my clothes on.

Once I'm done, I walk out of the room to see Quinn talking to her sister. She smiles at me and hugs her sister goodbye before coming over to me.

"All set?" I nod. "Well let's get you to your babies. They should be home by now."

* * *

The ride back to Quinn's had been relatively quiet aside from her humming along to a few songs playing on the radio.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Quinn suddenly asks me.

"No." I answer abruptly.

"I think you should stay the night with me, just so I can keep an eye on you. You know?"

"No. I'm fine. You could just drop us off at the hotel and I'll see you in the morning." I say with a weak smile.

"Do you really think that's a good idea? You had a panic attack and fainted Santana. What if it happens again when you're with the twins? I don't think it's safe." She says as she pulls up in front of her house.

"It won't happen again. Can you just get the twins and take us back to the motel please?"

She hesitates before nodding and getting out of the car. A few minutes later she comes back out with the twins. They both run up to my door.

"Mami! I missed you!" Callie exclaims as I open my door to hug and kiss them both.

"I missed you too. Both of you. Did you have fun today?" She nods and Costa just hugs me again. "Well how about you both get in your car seats and when we get back to our room you can tell me all about it."

* * *

Quinn stops in front of the hotel to let us out.

"You sure you're gonna be okay?"

"Yes I promise. I feel much better. I'll see you in the morning." I smile and give her an awkward hug over the console.

I get the twins out of the car and we head up to our room.

"Alright bath time." I tell them.

"But mami." Callie pouts.

"No buts. You guys have to get to bed early porque tenemos que levantar temprano para la escuela." I say sternly. "Aren't you excited for school?"

She nods eagerly and rushes to the bathroom.

"You're next mister." I tell Costa playfully before following after Callie.

After their baths, I put them in bed and turned the TV on so they could watch one show before bed.

"Mami?" Costa calls to me.

"Yes baby?"

"Is daddy a dinosaur?" I give him a confused look but before I can answer he continues. "'Cause Beth's daddy is a dinosaur. He said his name is Puck because he's a pucko-, a puckasaurus."

I don't even know what to say to that. So many things are running through my head. What kind of name is Puck? Who would name their kid after a hockey disk? How in the world does someone like Quinn end up with a guy named Puck? But then again, how did I end up with someone like Adrian?

"Is daddy a bad dinosaur 'cause he hit you?" My head snaps over to Callie who's already fast asleep thank goodness.

"Mijo it's time to go to sleep." I say turning off the TV.

"Lo siento mami. No llores." I didn't even realize I was crying. "I'm sorry I made you sad."

"It's okay baby. You didn't make me sad. We just, we don't need to talk about daddy anymore okay? Just get some sleep, you and your sister have a big day tomorrow."

* * *

Once Costa finally went to sleep I took a shower myself. I had been laying on the pullout couch staring at the ceiling. I really need to find a place to live, I can't have the twins living out of a motel for the rest of their lives. Then I remember that Noah guy from the diner said he knew a place.

I check the time it's only 9:30, hopefully he's still awake. I search through my bag for his number and dial it.

"Hello?"

"H-hi is this Noah?" I say feeling nervous suddenly.

"Yep yep who is this?" Is the response.

"Umm it's Santana…" I start then I remember I never gave him my name. "We met at the diner the last night, you said you knew of an available apartment and I-I was wondering if it was still available."

"Oh yeah it's still available. It's 2 bedroom, 2 baths. Rent is $600 a month plus a $200 deposit and the last month's rent. So you'd pay $1400 initially if you decided to move in."

"Ok would I be able to take a tour before I make a decision?"

"Totally. When would you be able to come? I'll talk to the landlord to set something up and I'll get back to you. Can I reach you at this number?"

"Thank you so much. I can come by any time after I take the kids to school. And yes just call this number back after to talk to the landlord." I thank him again before hanging up.

* * *

I wake the twins up at 6:00 to get them ready because Quinn was coming at 7:00 so we could stop at the diner for breakfast.

"Mija calmate." Callie is oozing with excitement, she can barely sit still. "Now what's your name baby?" I wanted to go over what I told them when we first arrived.

"Callista Cruz!"

"Good job." I kiss her forehead. "And yours mijo?"

"Costica Cruz." He says quietly. He's clearly not as excited as Callie is about school.

"But mami, isn't we supposed to have a last name like daddy?" Callie asks innocently. "Cause his is Doomashu." I can't help but smile at her attempt at saying his last name.

"Baby I told you we don't talk about that okay? Your last name is Cruz. Now are you ready for your first day?" I ask trying to distract her. It works thankfully.

"Yep! I got my backpack on!" She exclaims.

"Okay, now we have to wait for Quinn and Beth so we can have breakfast before your big day."

* * *

Breakfast was fine. Beth and Callie chatted away about what they planned on doing. Costa was quiet and kept leaning on me. I asked if he was okay periodically but he said he was fine.

Quinn pulls up in front of the school in the pickup zone and puts the car in park. We helped the kids out of the car and walked them to their classes.

Callie's teacher was Ms. Pillsbury. She seems very nice and is probably an excellent teacher but I'm sure I'm going to receive calls home about Callie. Beth and Costa will be in Ms. Holliday's class. She's very... I don't know. She'd probably be able to connect with the kids more.

"Mami yo no quiero quedarme." I hear Costa whisper.

"You have to stay mijo. Only for a few hours and then I will come and pick you up." I tell him kneeling down to meet his eyes. "I promise cariño."

I hug him and kiss him and try to walk away but he grabs onto my leg, hugging it tight.

"I have to go baby." He shakes his head. Quinn looks at me sympathetically and shrugs.

I kneel down again. "Please can you stay here and be a good boy for mami?" He's crying now and drawing attention to us. I pick him up as best as I can with my good arm and walk to the first bathroom I could find. "Shh, don't cry. Why don't you want to stay?"

"I wanna stay with you." He says finally calming down a little.

"But you have to go to school. You know that."

"But what if daddy comes to hit you again?!" He cries. My eyes water as I pull him into a tight hug, running my hand through his thick hair.

"Shh. He's not going to come back okay? Never. Don't worry about daddy. Everything is fine and he's never gonna hurt mami again." I'm not sure if I'm trying to convince him or myself more.

After a few minutes we both compose ourselves and he finally agrees to go to his class. I meet Quinn at the car.

* * *

 **Quinn's POV**

"All good?" I ask as Santana buckles her seat belt.

She gives me a small nod and a weak smile in response. I can tell she's been crying too right along with Costa. "He was just nervous about his first day. H-he's a bit shy." I nod.

"It's okay to be worried Santana. From what you told me, today is as big a day for you as it is for them."

"I've literally never been away from them like this. Except for yesterday and look how that turned out. I ended up in the hospital." She scoffs.

"You'll be okay." I say grabbing her hand over the console and giving it a squeeze. My hand lingers on hers a bit before I clear my throat and starting the car. "Umm do you wanna go with me to the airport to pick up my friend?"

"N-no I can't. I have to go meet someone about an apartment at 9 and then I'm gonna go job hunting." I nod and drive off.

I drove silently, tapping my fingers along with the beat of whatever song is playing on the radio. Santana is leaning with her forehead against the window. When we get to the motel she doesn't even notice so I have to tap her a few times.

"Hey, we're here." She looks up and gives me a small thank you before making her way out of the car. I grab her and pull her into a hug before she gets out. I feel her tense up immediately before slightly relaxing. "Good luck with the apartment and the job hunt."

* * *

 **Santana's POV**

After resting a little at the motel, I go to meet Noah at the apartment. It's only a 20 minute walk so I'm a few minutes early. I call him and let him know I'm downstairs.

He comes out and introduces me to the landlord. The landlord, a nice looking old man, and Noah show me where to get the mail and where the dumpsters, and even a small playground are in the complex before we go to the third floor of building C.

We arrive at apartment 3076 and Noah leads me in with his hand on my lower back. I stiffen at the contact but don't say anything. I feel like ever since he saved from that guy at the diner and offered me a place to stay I can somewhat trust him.

"So this is it. Both rooms have queen sized beds but you can always buy a bunk bed for the kids if you'd like." He says.

"No that bed is fine for now."

"Cool. Well here are the bathrooms. Umm that's pretty much it..." He says looking around. "Oh wait! Laundry is right here." He points to a door in the middle of the hallway. It has a washing machine and dryer in it. "The kitchen and dining area is in here." He leads me through a swinging door and shows me where everything is.

"Well that's the tour. What do ya think?" He asks.

"It's nice. I like it."

After signing the leasing agreement with the landlord and getting all the keys from him, Noah walks me out.

When we get outside a tall blonde starts waving frantically at Noah.

"Hey Britt." He says

"Hey Puck!" She says cheerily. "Hi not Puck!" She says referring to me I assume.

Wait. "Puck?" I ask.

"Oh my last name is Puckerman, so people call me Puck."

"You're Beth's dad." I state rather than ask.

His eyebrows furrowed "You know Beth?"

"Yeah I met her and her mom when I was at the park with the kids."

"You have baby goats?!" The blonde girl, Britt, asks.

"What?" I'm so confused now.

"No Brittany. She has children."

"Oooooh, aww. I wanted to see baby goats." She pouts.

"You actually took them out for ice cream with Beth the other day."

"Oh wow, you're right. I thought those two looked familiar. And sorry about her. Anyway that's Brittany. B, this is Santana, she's moving into the apartment across the hall from us."

"Hi!" She smiles. "Can I sign your cast? Please? I got a new marker I want to use!" Then she runs off.

"Just go with it, trust me." Puck leans over and whispers in my ear. "So do you need any help moving in?"

"I just have a few bags. We didn't bring much." I tell him. "D-do you think you could give me a ride to get them? I also need sheets and comforters for the beds."

"Yeah sure no problem. But we should probably wait so Brit can sign your cast. She'll pout all day if you leave without letting her." He chuckles.

* * *

After Brittany drew on my cast with a very bright lime green marker, Noah took me to the store to get things for the apartment and then the motel to pick up our stuff.

"Do either of you know of anywhere that's hiring?" I ask.

"The community center I teach dance classes at always has a job opening for something, so you could check there." Brittany informs me from the couch as she stares at the directions for the lamp I bought.

I suggest we take a break and ask Noah if he could drop me off there and he does. Turns out they're looking for tutors for the new school year. They had me take a test to see if I was actually capable of tutoring math and science. I passed so they gave me the job on the spot. My starting pay is $15 an hour but if I take the courses and become a certified tutor, it'll be raised to $30 an hour.

Since I'll be working after school, I look up classes to sign the twins up for so I don't have to hire a babysitter. I'm not sure what they would be interested in so I just grab a bunch of pamphlets to discuss it with them tonight.

I still have about two more hours before I have to get the twins so I walk around, familiarizing myself with the town.

As I'm walking, I see Quinn sitting outside of a small café with a brunette woman, Rachel I assume. They're talking and laughing when suddenly Rachel leans over the table and kisses her. And it was not a friendly kiss. It was like when Sarah kissed me.

I get this weird feeling in my stomach and look away immediately. Why didn't Quinn say that Rachel was her girlfriend?

I continue walking, that scene replaying itself over and over again in my head.

* * *

I pick the twins up at 2:30 and we walk back to the apartment. It's not a very long walk so they don't complain too much.

When we get to the apartment, I show the kids their room and where everything is, then we go to the kitchen to make them a snack. I hear someone knocking so I go answer the door. It's Noah.

"Hey I heard you come back so I thought I'd come by and help finish decorating or whatever." He says sheepishly.

"Oh umm thanks you really don't have to."

"I don't mind." He shrugs.

"Well ok then come on in." I open the door further and let him in.

"Puckasaurus!" Costa yells and then runs up to Noah.

"Hey little guy." He says picking him up.

"Mami, look its Beth's daddy!" Callie exclaims.

"I know mija, he lives across the hall and what did I say about yelling inside?"

"Lo siento mami." She replies. "Does this mean Beth can sleep over all the time now?"

"I don't know sweetie you'll have to ask her mommy and daddy ok. I'm gonna finish your snacks. If you two have any homework, take it out so I can see it. Did you want anything Noah?"

"Sure I could eat. I'll just have whatever you're making them." He smiles at me.

* * *

I walk out of the kitchen with three peanut butter and banana sandwiches and a peanut butter, onion and pickle sandwich for me. I see Noah playing with the twins and they are enjoying every second of it. He has one of Callie's dolls and he's doing a funny accent while making her do flips away from one of Costa's robots. I haven't seen them smile this much in a long time, especially Costa. I feel tears start to form in my eyes. I will them away before they can see me but I sniffled a bit too loud and Noah turns to look at me.

"You ok?" He mouths. I nod and set the sandwiches down on the table then wipe my eyes.

"Alright snack time guys." Costa and Callie grab their sandwiches and start munching away. I sit on the couch with mine and Noah sits next me with his.

"You sure you're ok?" He asks, his voice full of concern.

"Yea I was just cutting onions and you know how that is." I reply. "So my kids think you're a dinosaur?"

"Well that's because I am." He winks at me. Then he frowns. "Wait you put onions on your peanut butter sandwich?"

"Mmhmm." I respond as I take a bite.

"And pickles?" He adds after inspecting my sandwich some more. He scrunches up his nose and pretends to gag. "That sounds disgusting."

I laugh. "Don't judge me. It's actually really good. You should try it some time."

"Yeah I'm gonna have to pass." He laughs.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **Santana's POV**

Quinn and I dropped the kids off at school and then she took me to my doctor's appointment.

"Thanks for the ride."

"No problem San. Anytime." Quinn tells me.

"I'll see you tonight then." I reply. Quinn invited the twins and I to Beth's birthday dinner before her party tomorrow. Noah and Brittany will be there as well so they'll be giving us a ride there.

"Yep. 7:30."

"Bye Quinn." She waves and drives off.

.

.

.

"So Mrs. Cruz, everything with the baby looks good. I should remind you to avoid stressful situations. Don't want you to have another anxiety attack." Dr. Fabray says. Apparently since this town is so small she's the only doctor here.

"Just Santana is fine and thank you. Um, when will I be able to get the cast off?"

"Well why don't we check. You had it for about a month right?"

"Yes. A month and a half almost."

I got an x-ray and she said I should wear a soft cast for one more week and then we can take it off.

"Do you have any other questions or concerns?"

"No that was the only one. So I'll see you next week. Thank you."

"I'll see you tonight actually." My eyebrows furrow in confusion. "Dinner at Quinn's and then Beth's birthday tomorrow. You didn't think I'd miss my favorite niece's birthday did you?" She laughs.

"Sorry I forgot you're Quinn's sister."

"It's okay. I'll see you later."

.

.

.

I walked back home from the doctor. I stopped at the store to pick up a few things I needed for the house. I took a nap. By the time I woke up, it was around 1:30 which meant that it was almost time for work. Quinn picks me up and we get the kids and drive down to the community center. Quinn teaches a photography class there and she assured me that giving us rides all the time isn't an inconvenience to her in anyway. She tries to refuse my gas money but I insist she take it and eventually she does.

I've been working at the community center for a week now and I love it. And so do the twins. Costa asked to be signed up for the taekwondo class and the music class. Noah got him interested in playing guitar so he wants to learn to play that and the piano. Callie signed up for the art and Brittany's dance classes with Beth.

.

.

.

"Mami I drawed a pretty picture for you in art today!" Callie tells me once we get home.

"It's 'drew' mija, you drew a pretty picture for me. And I can't wait to see it but first let's get your homework done okay? You too Costa, get your homework folder out."

I notice Costa hesitate before he takes the folder out of his backpack.

"What's wrong baby?" He mutters a quiet reply with his head lowered making his curly hair fall over his eyes. "What was that? I couldn't hear you."

"I got a color change today." He looks up at me through his hair, I think it's time for a haircut.

"What happened?" I ask with a sigh.

"Steven was being mean to Beth and I told him to stop and then he called me a stupid crybaby cause I cried when you left on the first day and then he laughed and I got mad so I broked his pencil and pushed and he told Ms. Holliday and she put me in time out and changed my color to red!" He let it out in one breath and then burst into tears. I hug him to me.

"Shh it's okay mijo. Don't cry." Once he calms down a bit I pull back a little and look into his eyes. "Mijo just because someone upsets you doesn't mean you can put your hands on them or break their things alright? If he does something like that again tell Ms. Holliday and I'll talk to her about this on Monday okay?" I'm surprised she didn't call me and tell me about the incident. He sniffles and nods. "Okay now go do your homework. If you need help ask me."

.

.

.

After their homework was done, I bathed them and we just watched TV. At around 7:10 I knocked on Noah's door.

"Hey are you guys ready?" I asked. "I don't want to be late."

"Hey we'll be ready in a bit. Just have to wait for Brittany to finish getting dressed." He answers with a smile. "You look great by the way."

Oh no, we're going to be late. That's all I heard.

"Thanks." I blush slightly. "H-how long do you think she's going to be? We really can't be late." I state nervously.

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.

.

 ** _Flashback_**

 _"_ _I-I took too long in the shower." I lie while staring at the ground. I couldn't tell him I was thinking about how I was going to get me and the kids out of here for obvious reasons. "But your parents didn't mind that we were a little late."_

 _I regretted my words as soon as they came out of my mouth. His nostrils flared and his eyes bulged as he walked towards me. He backhanded me. I fell to the ground clutching my face._

 _"_ _You stupid bitch! My parents didn't mind?! It isn't about them minding! It's about being punctual and fucking polite!"_

 _He pulled me up by my hair and threw me against the wall. I laid there and he walked over and kicked me. Then he grabbed me and punched me in the stomach._

.

.

.

"Don't worry about it babe, Quinn doesn't live too far. Besides, she won't mind if we're a little late." Noah assures me, putting a hand on my shoulder. I flinched and he immediately removed his hand.

"It's not about her minding. It's rude, we have to be punctual." I recite like it's a quote from the bible.

"Are you okay Santana?" He asks bringing me back to the present.

"Y-yes. Sorry." I say with a nod. He looks at me skeptically.

"I'm going to check on Brittany, she's probably done by now."

.

.

.

"See I told you we'd make it on time." Noah says with a smile.

"I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize babe." He winks. I give a small smile in response. "Alright kiddos lets go give Beth the best birthday hug ever!" He unbuckles them both from their car seats and then carries them through the front door under each arm. Brittany right behind him.

"Daddy!" Beth exclaims.

"Hey there little one." Noah says as he puts the twins down and picks up his daughter. He's placing kisses all over her face as she giggles.

"I'm not little anymore daddy! It's my birthday!"

"Oh that's right, my little angel is all grown up now." He replies.

"Hi Callie and Costa." Beth greets them. "Down daddy!"

"Beth ask nicely." Quinn says coming out of the kitchen.

"Sorry. Down please daddy." He puts her down and she drags Callie away with her. Costa stays next to Noah.

"Mijo, go play with the girls." I tell him. He sighs and walks away.

"Is the world ending? I can't believe Puck _and_ Brittany are on time for something. And early at that." Quinn chuckles.

Noah puts his arm around my shoulder and pulls me closer to him. I tense up but immediately relax so he hopefully didn't notice. "Well it's all thanks to this one. She does not like to be late."

"I figured it was her doing and not yours." Quinn says and then turns to hug me. "Hey San."

.

.

.

 **Quinn's POV**

I noticed Santana tense up as Puck grabbed her, so I pulled her into a hug so she could get out of his hold without anyone thinking anything of her reaction if they noticed.

"Hi." She replies softly. A timer goes off in the kitchen.

"Well come in, make yourself comfortable. Everyone is in the living room right now. That's probably where Britt disappeared to." I tell them both as I head into the kitchen to check on dinner.

"Everyone?" Santana asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh just a few more of my friends that I've known forever and my sister. They're great you'll love them."

I take the food out of the over to cool and then set the table. Once that's done I make my way to the living room.

"Baby mama where's my Jewish princess?" Puck asks. I roll my eyes at him.

"I've told you not to call me that Puck. And she's not yours." I say. "She's probably in the bedroom or bathroom freshening up. You know how she gets with guests. I'll go check on her."

"You love it though." He says as I walk away. I politely flip him the bird and hear him laugh.

I walk upstairs and check the bathroom. No Rachel, so she must be in our bedroom. I hear her talking and laughing so I go in.

"I have to go." She says quickly to whoever was on the phone and then hangs up. "Hey baby."

"Hey. Who was that?" I ask.

"No one. Just work stuff. I had to make sure my understudy is doing what she's supposed to do."

"Oh. It just sounded really friendly." I respond.

"Well Quinn I'm allowed to have friends." She says curtly.

"Okay. Sorry. Forget I said anything. Let's just go downstairs everyone is here and the food is ready."

"Wait Puck _and_ Brittany are here on time for once?" She asks with wide eyes.

"Yep. It seems San is a good influence on them. Speaking of, it's time for you to officially meet."

"Yeah it feels like you've been hiding her from me."

"Don't be ridiculous Rach." I say and grab her hand, moving towards the door. "Just come on."

"Wait."

"What is-" I start to ask but before I can finish she turns me around and kisses me.

"That." She says wiping her lipstick off my bottom lip and then walking downstairs.

"Oh." I reply breathlessly.

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.

.

I round up the kids and set them up at the table once I get downstairs.

"Time to eat guys." I call out to everyone else.

Brittany comes bouncing in with Mike right behind her. Kurt, Blaine, and the rest trickle in slowly. Puck comes in last behind Santana and pulls out the chair next to Costa so she can sit.

"Thank you." She says quietly with a smile. He just smiles in response then leans over and says something in her ear that makes her blush and look away.

"Quinn?" Rachel's voice pulls my attention away from them.

"Huh?"

"You going to introduce me to your new friend?"

"Oh sorry I figured you all introduced yourselves in the living room."

"Nope. Puck has been hogging her. We couldn't get a word in edgewise" Kurt says with a smirk causing Puck to actually blush. He has the sheepish smile and everything.

"Oh well Santana, the drama queen is Kurt." He sticks his tongue out at me. "And next to him is his husband Blaine. You know Frannie. That's Mike next to Britt, you've probably seen him around the community center. He sometimes helps Brittany out with her classes. And this is Rach-"

"Her girlfriend, Rachel Berry. Maybe you've heard of me." Rachel interrupts. "I'm on Broadway."

"Oh I've never really been anywhere outside of Mi-" Santana freezes mid-sentence with wide eyes.

"Outside of your what?" Rachel asks.

"Massachusetts!" She blurts out. "M-my home in Massachusetts."

"Mommy can we eat now?" Beth whines.

"Yeah can we eat? I'm starving." Puck adds in.

"Go ahead sweetie." I tell her. "When aren't you hungry Puckerman?"

Everyone begins to eat and talk amongst themselves. Suddenly I hear a chair scraping against the floor loudly and look up to see Santana rushing out the room. I get up to go check on her.

"Is my cooking the bad?" I ask jokingly when I find her with her head in the toilet. She responds with more vomit.

I grab a washcloth and wet it and place it on her forehead. She dry heaves for a few more minutes.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm so sorry. It wasn't your cooking, I-I've just been feeling nauseous all day." She says, tears forming in her eyes.

"Shhh hey, hey don't cry. Let's get you cleaned up."

"I've ruined Beth's dinner. I'm sorry." She's full on sobbing now.

"Santana I promise everything is fine. You didn't ruin anything. Come on, I'm going to let you lay down in my bed. I'll bring some crackers and maybe a sprite or something. Just relax, I'll be right back."

I go back into the dining room and motion for Frannie to follow me into the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" she asks once we're alone.

"I have no idea. She was just puking her guts out and then apologizing and sobbing. Literally sobbing Frannie." I tell her. She just laughs.

"It's just the pregnancy. She'll be fine. The puking is most likely morning sickness and her hormones are going haywire so her emotions are probably all over the place."

"Pregnancy?" I question. "She's pregnant?"

"You didn't know? Shit Quinn, I figured you did. Don't tell her I told you. I thought you knew." She tells me and quickly leaves the room.

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 **Probably sucks. I've been stuck on this shitty chapter forever. Sorry I took so long. Really sorry about the ending. I had to end it somewhere and I figured that point would have to do. I'll try to update the next chapter faster. Thanks for your continued support and reviews. -ToM**


	8. Chapter 8

**Two updates in the same month? It appears I'm on a roll. Enjoy :)**

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 **Chapter 8**

 **Quinn's POV**

"Just come down when you're feeling better." I tell Santana as I leave the crackers and soda on the bedside table.

I walk back into the dining room and all eyes are on me. Except for Callie and Beth, they're still eating.

"Everything okay?" Of course Puck is the first to ask _._ I nod.

"Where's mami?" Costa asks me.

"She's just laying down for a bit sweetheart. She'll be down soon."

"Can I go with my mami?"

"You don't want to miss all the fun we're gonna have after dinner do you?" Puck says before I could even respond. "I might even show you one of my dinosaur tricks!" He says with a wink.

Costa's face instantly lights up with a smile and he goes back to eating. As did everyone else. After a while Kurt starts talking to the twins.

"So how do you guys like it here?"

"I like it a lot. Beth is my bestest friend!" Callie is the first to answer. "But I miss daddy." She adds sadly. Costa immediately drops his fork as soon as she says that.

"Oh and where is he?" Rachel questions. Everyone is silent, curious about that as well. I'll admit I am too.

"Rachel." I say with a warning tone.

"What I'm just asking what everyone else wants to know." She replies with a shrug. "Sorry for wanting to get to know the strangers you invite into our home."

"He went to work." Callie answers not noticing the tension in the room. "He goes away to work and he always brings me and Costa presents when he comes back home. And sometimes he gives mami a really pretty necklace. I hope he gets me a bike!"

"Callie, mami said we not supposed to talk about daddy anymore!" Costa tells her in a loud, angry whisper.

Interesting. He must travel for work. Are he and San still together? But why doesn't she like talking about him? Maybe it was a messy break up or divorce or whatever. Wow. I'm starting to realize I hardly know anything about Santana.

"Why doesn't your mother want you to talk about your dad Costa?" Rachel asks. She's basically interrogating these kids.

"Rachel that's enough." I say.

"I'm just-"

"I said enough Rachel." I cut her off. "We're here to celebrate Beth's birthday."

"Exactly. And I have an early birthday gift for the little princess." Kurt adds, helping to change the subject.

"Mommy can I open it? Please please please?!" Beth begs. I give Kurt a playful glare but not to Beth.

"Go ahead." She hops out of her seat and runs over to Kurt.

"What is it Uncle Kurt?!" She asks excitedly while pulling him out of his chair. They exit the room with Beth trying to guess what Kurt got her.

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 **Santana's POV**

The crackers and soda have helped settle my stomach. Now I'm just trying to find the courage to get up and face everyone. I'm so embarrassed and I know they're going to ask questions. Questions that I definitely don't want to answer. How can I- what would I even say? And Quinn? What will she think? She'll probably think I just got knocked up by a stranger or something. I'd better get up though, I'm sure the twins are worried.

I get up with a sigh and head into the dining room thinking everyone is still in there. To my surprise it's empty and the table has been cleared. It sounds like everyone has left. I walk around the house looking for them until I hear screaming and laughter coming from outside. I quickly run outside and am met with the sight of Beth driving a toy Mercedes directly towards Rachel. She was the one screaming and everyone else is laughing.

"Beth hit the brakes baby!" Quinn yells out to her in between laughs. "Leave it to you to go over the top Kurt." She rolls her eyes at him.

"Hey!" He responds in a high pitch. "It wasn't even my idea! I was going to get her a 12 month subscription to Vogue. This was all Blaine. He was all 'she's a child Kurt. She doesn't want magazines Kurt.'" He says mocking Blaine's voice.

Blaine in response blushes while everyone else bursts out laughing. Callie is in the truck with Beth with a big smile on her face. I panic when I don't see Costica right away. I look over towards a tree and see him playing and laughing with Noah. They look like they're having a lot of fun. He spots me a few seconds later and comes barreling towards me.

"Mami! Look what Puck taught me!" He says and stands back and lets out what I assume is supposed to be a very big roar. "He showed me how dinosaurs roar!" His eyes are lit up like Christmas trees and I feel my own start to water. I quickly push the tears back, I'm not about to start crying now.

Everyone looks over at me once they notice I'm back. "Hey." I say quietly and wave to them.

"Are you feeling better?" Mike asks me.

"Yeah. Yes. I was umm I was feeling nauseous earlier and I guess the smell of the pasta just made everything...come up so to speak." I reply. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to ruin the evening."

"You didn't ruin anything sweetie." Kurt tells me. I hear a scoff coming from where Rachel is standing.

Callie comes up to me. "Mami look Beth has a truck like daddy! I want one too."

"Callie..." I say with a sigh.

"Please! I be good at school. I don't get color changes! Pleeeeaaaaassse mami? You can tell daddy to get it for when he comes home!"

"We'll talk when we get home mija." I tell her.

"Where is their father?" Rachel asks. "Is he even in the picture or does he just drop off gifts for the kids every once in a while like Callie says?"

"Rachel?!" Quinn shrieks. "I need to talk to you now." She says leaving no room for argument. They both head into the house. I just stand there speechless, not really sure what to say.

"Uh oh. Rachel's in trouble." Beth said with wide eyes.

"Don't mind Rachel. She's just a tad bit-" Blaine says and twirls his finger next to his head.

"Crazy." "Bitchy." Brittany and Frannie finish for him simultaneously.

"Yeah, that." Blaine replies with a laugh, not clarifying who he was agreeing with.

"I don't think she likes me very much. Maybe we should just go." I say. "Let's go babies. We'll just walk so you don't have to leave Noah." I tell him.

"Nonsense I'll drive you guys. I don't mind."

"Mami can we please stay? Beth is gonna let me drive her truck!" Callie whines with a pout.

I sigh. "Five more minutes and then we're leaving. And Noah it's alright. It's your daughter's night I won't take you away from that. It's not too far." Callie runs off as soon as I finished addressing her.

We hear the door open and look to see Quinn coming back outside with a sullen-looking Rachel behind her. "What's not too far?" Quinn asks.

"My apartment. We're going to head out."

"San you don't have to go. Ignore Rachel. She seems to have forgotten her manners in New York." She says while glaring at Rachel. Rachel just scoffs and turns away from Quinn. "I'm really sorry about her. At least stay for cake?"

"I want cake mami!" Costa shouts excitedly. I can't help but laugh because he really just came out of nowhere.

"I guess we're staying for cake then." I say with a shrug.

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"Ready for your party tomorrow little one?" Noah asks Beth.

"I told you I'm a big girl now daddy!" Beth replies, her face covered in cake. She even has some in her eyebrows and hair. Everyone chuckles at her cuteness.

Once the twins finish their cake, I take them to the bathroom to get cleaned up.

"Mami?" Callie starts after I finished wiping her face. I start wiping off Costa's but it's pretty hard because he's half asleep.

"Yes mija?"

"When is daddy coming home?" She asks.

"¿Que te dije?" I ask with a raised voice causing Callie to jump and Costa to wake up. I take a deep breath to call myself down before I continue talking. "I said we don't talk about daddy right?" She nods her head slowly. "Ok so stop it. And I'm sorry for yelling at you."I finish and place a kiss on her head.

I finish wiping off Costa's face and then struggle to pick him up. I can't wait until this cast is off. "Open the door for me mija." I tell Callie.

We go into the living room where everyone is and Noah jumps up as soon as he sees me and takes Costica from me. Quinn gives him a strange look but it went away as quickly as it appeared.

"You shouldn't be carrying him." He tells me. "I mean with your arm and all." He adds somewhat nervously.

"Thank you."

"You ready to go?" He asks. I nod to him and grab Callie's hand. "What about you Brit?"

"I'm gonna stay a bit longer. Mike is going to drop me off." She answers. She then walks over and pulls me into a hug. I hug her back awkwardly since my only available arm is the broken one. "Bye San." She says cheerily.

"Bye Brit. Callie say bye sweetie."

"But mami I wanna stay with Beth." She whines and starts to pout. "We could have a slumber party!"

"No baby. Beth has to be well rested for her party tomorrow and I'm sure Quinn needs rest too." I tell her.

"Actually its fine she can stay." To my surprise it's Rachel speaking. "I'm sure Beth will love it and I'll watch them. That way Quinn can get sleep." Beth is gives a fist pump and smiles at Callie.

"I- no it's okay. I'll just take her home. I don't want to impose."

"Nonsense. She's staying." Rachel says. "It's final." I look over to Quinn for reassurance.

"Everything will be fine San. She'll be well taken care of." She says to me. "She'll be okay." She says looking directly into my eyes.

"Al-alright. Okay." I kneel down in front of Callie. "Dame in beso grande." She obliges. "Now be good and listen to everything Rachel and Quinn tell you okay mija?"

"Yes mami."

"Te amo."

"I love you too mami."

"Come on. I'll walk you guys to the car." Quinn says motioning towards the door. She opens the door for us since Noah has his hands full with Costa. He puts him in the truck, making sure he's in there securely. "I'll see you tomorrow Santana," she tells me as I climb in the passenger seat. "Hey Puck let me talk to you for a sec."

"Sure thing baby momma. What can the Puckster do for you?" He asks and she pulls him a little ways away from the truck.

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 **Quinn's POV**

"I told you to stop calling me that." I cuff him in the back of the head.

"Umm ouch. You didn't have to hit me. But seriously what's up?"

"Leave Santana alone Puck." I answer. "Don't try anything with her."

"Why the hell not? I think she likes me." He says with a smirk. "What, are you trying to keep her for yourself? So selfish Quinnie." He laughs as I try to keep my blushing unnoticeable.

"I'm serious! Do not get involved with her. I know how you are and you will not treat her like some two dollar whore."

"Whoa whoa whoa. I don't treat anyone like that." I raise my eyebrow. "Okay okay maybe I have in the past but it's not like that Q-tip. I actually like her."

"What do you mean you actually like her? You hardly know her!"

"And you do?!" He yells in response.

"I-is everything alright?" Santana asks coming from the truck shocking is both.

"Everything is fine! Get back in the car, we're leaving." Puck responds angrily. Santana jumps at his tone and climbs back into the vehicle hurriedly. She always seems so nervous.

I didn't mean to upset him, I just don't want Santana to get caught in everything that is Puck like I did. I mean, she obviously can't get pregnant since she apparently already is but like its Puck. Puck doesn't do romance or love or anything of the sort. Santana doesn't deserve that. She has her kids to think of and she doesn't need to add any stress or heartbreak to her life. I'm not saying Puck is a bad guy, it's just that Santana deserves more.

"Look I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I just, she's my friend and I don't want her getting hurt." I tell him.

"Gee, good to know how little you think of me." He scoffs and goes to get in the car.

"Puck wait."

"I'll see you tomorrow Q." And with that he hopped in his truck and drove off.

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Back inside, Beth and Callie are dancing with Brittany and Mike.

"What was all that yelling about?" Kurt asks.

"It was nothing. Puck and I just had a small disagreement. Everything is fine." I tell them.

"You sure?" I nod. "Okay then. Well Blaine and I have to get going. Need our beauty sleep for tomorrow and all. Can't turn up at the party of the century looking like we're dead." I just shake my head.

"Beth sweetie come say bye to your uncles."

"Bye Uncle Kurt and Uncle Blaine!" She runs over and hugs them. "Thank you for the best birthday present EVER!"

"Indoor voice honeybee. And you are quite welcome. We'll see you tomorrow" Blaine tells her and they both plant a kiss on her cheek.

I say my goodbyes as I walk them to the door. Back in the living room, Frannie is enthusiastically listening to some story Callie is telling her about her dolls. Beth and Mike appear to be having a staring contest and Brittany is cheering them on. Rachel has disappeared somewhere in the house again. It's like she can't get away from us, me, fast enough.

"Hey Callie can I borrow Frannie for a bit?" I ask interrupting her. She nods and runs off towards Beth.

"What's the matter Quinn? What was Puck going on about?"

"Nothing. I was just telling him not to get involved with her." I say. "You and I both know how he is, he'll just lead her on and then when things even seem like they're getting too serious he'll leave. I don't want that for her." I finish with a sigh.

"You know you can't control either of them. If they are attracted to each and want to start something, it's not your place to stop them."

"But that's the thing!" I exclaim. "I don't think she wants to date him. Every time he touches her she gets nervous and fidgety."

"I'm sure she'd say something if she wasn't okay with it Q."

"I doubt it. She doesn't seem like one to stand up for herself. You see how timid she is." I say. "I mean she's scared of Rachel for goodness sake."

"I doubt she's afraid of Rachel, she's probably just not sure how she's supposed to respond to half the shit she says just like everyone else."

"She's pregnant Fran. Puck will run for the hills when he finds out. Just like he did when I first told him about Beth."

"He also got himself together and did what he had to for Beth, Quinn. He's grown up, even if it's only a little bit, but he has." Frannie says. "Why is it such a big deal?"

Why is it such a big deal? I don't know. It just really frustrates me that he's always flirting with her. Trying to use his 'boyish charm' just to get in her pants. Ugh! This is stupid and it's just making me angry.

"It doesn't." I say before walking out of the room and go to the bathroom.

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 **Santana's POV**

I almost run back to the car when Noah snaps at me. I knew his niceness was an act, he's just like Adrian. They all are. I just want to go home now. I see him walking back to the car and pray that he doesn't yell at me again. He slammed the door as he got in, causing me to jump and startling Costa awake.

"Mami?" He cries out.

"Shh it's okay. Mami' okay. Go back to sleep mijo." I coo. I reach in the backseat and he grabs onto my hand before falling asleep again.

The drive home is completely silent. The radio isn't even on. Noah is extremely pissed. I don't know what Quinn said to him but he obviously didn't like it. When we finally get home, he goes to get Costa out of the back but I stop him.

"It's okay, I got him." I say.

"But your arm. Just let me take him."

"It's fine." I say. "I won't be needing a ride tomorrow. We'll just walk. I'll get their car seats out of the truck some other time."

"San wait." He grabs my arm and I freeze. "Look in sorry for snapping at you. I just, Quinn was- I'm just sorry okay? It won't happen again. Now let me help you."

"It's fine I don't need help. Thank you for the ride. I will see you at Beth's party." I tell him. I struggle getting Costa out of the car but I eventually do and carry him into the apartment complex. The walk to our apartment is awkward because Noah lives across the hall. It feels like he's following us but I remind myself that isn't the case. He stops me once we reach our respective doors.

"Santana I'm really sorry. I'm not letting you walk to Quinn's house tomorrow. I'll give you guys a ride okay?" I nod and go inside once I unlock the door. Once I'm inside I pull out my phone and text Quinn.

 **To Quinn:**

 **Is Callie doing okay?**

Her response is almost immediate.

 **From Quinn:**

 **Yes everything is fine. She and Beth are coloring now. Get some sleep. She's in good hands I promise :)**

 **To Quinn:**

 **Okay okay sorry for bugging you. Goodnight Quinn :)**

 **From Quinn:**

 **No worries. Night San :***

That last text threw me off. My stomach is doing somersaults and I rushed to the bathroom thinking I was going to puke however the vomit never came. I shake my head and then grab Costa's pajamas and my own.

I change him and then take a quick shower and hop in bed myself. It was really hard to go to sleep. That last text message sent my mind into overdrive for no apparent reason. I spent most of the night thinking about it. Why had she sent me that particular emoji? What did it mean? I eventually fell asleep thinking about what it would be like to kiss Quinn.

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 **Quinn's POV**

Santana didn't even wait 30 minutes before she texted me checking on Callie. I told her to relax and that I had everything under control. Shit. I don't know why I sent that emoji to Santana. She's probably going to think I'm flirting with her now, which is definitely not the case. Not at all. I'm with Rachel and I love her. I put my phone done and go to join the girls coloring. When I got to Beth's room, Rachel was in there asking Callie all kinds of questions.

"Why doesn't your mother want you to talk about your dad sweetie?" She asks in a sweet voice.

"I don't know." Callie replies with a shrug. "Maybe cause she's mad at him."

"Well why would she be mad at him?"

Callie shrugs again. "When dad had his party they said something about Uncle Drew and mami and then mami was sad and daddy looked mad. Maybe he put her in timeout and she got mad." Interesting.

"Rachel I told you to stop questioning her." I scold her before she can ask any more questions. She rolls her eyes and mumbles a whatever before leaving the room. "Alright girls it's getting late. Time to get ready for bed." They both groan and pout at me. "Come on girls you don't want to be or look tired tomorrow. It's going to be lots of fun and we're going to take lots of pictures and princesses can't look tired. Especially not on their birthday or their friend's birthday so let's go."

I read them a short story before tucking them in and looking for Rachel. I find her in our bed on her phone texting.

"What is your problem Rachel?"

"Excuse me? I don't have one but apparently you do." She responds flippantly.

"You're right, I do. I don't appreciate you interrogating my friend's kids. Santana has been nothing but nice to you." I say.

"Well somebody has to. You know nothing about the girl Quinn and you just let her into your life without even trying to find anything out. All of you have. It's incredibly stupid! What if she's psychotic or something? You wouldn't know because you hadn't taken the time to really learn anything about her. Don't you think it's odd that she says she just decided to move here and didn't even think to enroll her kids in school? That should have been one of the first things she did **before** she came. That and finding a place to live. It's not okay to just let someone into your life because you thinks she pretty." She huffs.

"Is that what this is about? You're jealous?" She shakes her head.

"What? No I just think you're insane for letting a stranger into your home. You have a kid. If she were mine, I wouldn't allow that. It's not safe."

"What do you mean _if_? What the hell is that supposed to mean? She's as much yours as she is mine." I say with tears forming in my eyes. "You've been there since I found out I was pregnant. You helped raise her before you ran off to Broadway and practically abandoned us!"

"Oh please. The girl doesn't even like me. I'm sure she'd be happy if you just got with Puck and you can all be one big happy family. Or better yet, you and your precious Santana can date and she can adopt Beth. She'd probably enjoy that even more!"

"Get out." She stares at me, unmoving. "Leave!" I shout. She grabs her phone and one of her bags and hurries out of the bedroom. I hear the front door open and shut, then her car starting and that's when I completely break down.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **Santana's POV**

I had Costa sleep in the bed with me last night. I didn't want to be alone. Noah reminded me so much of Adrian last night, it was scary. I really don't want to ride with him to Quinn's house but I know I need to. At least Brittany will be in the car too. I hope.

"Mami?"

"Good morning mijo." I prop myself up on my elbow and smile at him. He leans up and kisses my cheek before plopping back down on the bed.

"Morning mami." Then he bolts upright. "Today is Beth's party! I get to wear my costume now."

"Yes it is." I reply with a laugh. "But first we have to take a bath and eat breakfast. We have to hurry so we can make sure your sister has her costume on time too."

He jumps out of bed and races to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He's so excited, it's adorable. I head to the bathroom behind and start running his bath water.

"Do you want bubbles mijo?" He nods in response. "Should we go out to eat or do you want me to cook?" He spits out the toothpaste to reply.

"Go out. Can Puck come too mami?"

I freeze at the question. "I-I'm sure he isn't up this early baby. We'll see him later at Beth's party."

"Please mami can I call and ask?" He pouts. I nod with a sigh.

"But after your bath." He does a little fist pump and starts to strip out of his pajamas. "Be careful mijo. You don't want to hurt yourself."

* * *

After Costa takes his bath and gets dressed, I let him watch cartoons while I take a quick shower. When I got out, I heard Costa talking to someone. A man. I quickly wrapped a towel around myself and grabbed the nearest thing to me that could pass as a weapon. It happened to be a plunger.

I quietly exited the bathroom, plunger raised over my head. Once I round the corner at the end of the hall, I find Costa and Noah talking animatedly about the show on the television.

"W-what are you doing here?"

"Oh hey San. I found this little guy knocking on my door going on about breakfast." Noah says with a smile. "Were you gonna plunge me to death?" He adds with a laugh.

"Costa you know you're not supposed to leave the house by yourself." I tell him, ignoring Noah's comment.

"Sorry mami." He says quietly with his head down.

I notice Noah leering at my body and I realize I'm still in just a towel. I clear my throat loudly, getting him to make eye contact with me.

"Thank you for bringing him back over here. We're just going to grab a quick bite at the diner down the street. We'll see you at Beth's party." The smile on his face left as disappointment marred his features.

"Do you mind if I join you guys?" He asks.

"Umm I-" "Please mami? Can he come?" Costa interrupts me. He's giving me puppy eyes that he apparently learned from Callie. "Okay yea you can come. Let me just go get dressed." I pull my towel tighter around myself before going into my bedroom.

* * *

Once I was done getting dressed I shot Quinn a good morning text and asked if she wanted any help setting up. I really just want to see how Callie is doing but I don't mind helping.

I go into the living room and find Noah holding Costica over his shoulder tickling him. His squeals of laughter brings a smile to my face. Which quickly turns into a frown as I slap my hand over my mouth and rush off to the bathroom.

When I come back Noah is looking at me worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine. Probably still a little nauseous from yesterday."

"Mami always gets sick in the morning. And sometimes at night." Costa adds. "Like yesterday."

"Ok let's go. I'm sure you're both starving." I say quickly, ushering them out the door.

* * *

Breakfast was pretty uneventful. Noah and Costa chatted away about dinosaurs or something while I practically inhaled my food. Quinn still hasn't responded to my text. She's probably really busy trying to get everything set up.

"Hey can we go to Quinn's now? Callie is a handful and I want to make sure she's not in the way too much."

"Sure let me just pay and we can go."

"Oh you don't ha-"

"It's fine. Breakfast is on me." He says with a wink.

* * *

 **Quinn's POV**

I wake up to the constant ringing of my cell phone. I blindly reach over and grab it off the nightstand.

"Hello." I answer sleepily.

"Babe I've been calling all morning. Did you get my texts? When are you coming home?" A man's voice responds. Babe?

"I think you have the wrong number." I tell the guy, ready to hang up.

"Rachel?" I sit up and look at the phone in my hand, sure enough it's Rachel's phone and some guy named Brody is calling her babe. "Rachel you there?"

"No she isn't, this is her girlfriend Quinn. Maybe she's told you about me." The line goes dead. I guess he does know about me.

How could she? How long has this been going on? Is she living with him? I feel tears running down my face. I quickly wipe them away and go to the bathroom to get ready for today. I will not let this ruin my daughter's party.

I cried a little more in the shower but once I was out I put on a fake smile and a bit more makeup than usual. I heard the girls giggling away in Beth's room. I knock on the door before letting myself in.

"Good morning mommy." "Good morning Quinn." They greet me at the same time.

"Morning girls. Who wants to help me make breakfast?" They both excitedly volunteer.

I start on the bacon and have the girls mix up the pancake batter. It wasn't long before the counter was a mess. Then there was a knock on the door.

"Don't go near the stove girls. I'll be right back."

I open the door to find Santana, Puck, and Costa on the other side.

"Sup Q." Puck says before walking past me. "Where's my little princess?" I hear him ask as he goes further into the house.

"Good morning Quinn." Santana says. "I sent you a text to see if you wanted help getting everything ready. But you didn't respond and I know Callie can be a handful and would probably get in the way somehow so I came. And I brought her clothes to play in and also her costume and-"

"San," I put my hand on her arm to stop her rambling. "I'm so glad you came. I could use all the help I can get. And sorry I didn't reply, Rachel grabbed the wrong phone when she uh, went to her dads' house." I tell her. "Hey come in we're making breakfast."

"We already had breakfast with Puck." Costa is the one to respond. "And mami ate A LOT! Like this much." He spreads his arms out wide. Santana looks embarrassed and ready to burst into tears.

"Whoa little man. I'm gonna have to teach you the right way to talk to the ladies." Puck says as we walk into the kitchen.

"You won't be teaching him anything Puck. That's the last thing we need."

"Why not? It worked on you baby momma. Hence this little angel." He says referring to Beth. I scoff and roll my eyes.

"Come on San." I grab Santana's hand and lead her to the kitchen.

"Buenos dias mami!" Callie greets her as we enter the room.

"Good morning baby. Did you have fun last night?" Callie nods and tells Santana all about last night and this morning.

"She wasn't any trouble was she?" She asks me.

"Not at all." I tell her with a smile.

"Mami did you bring my costume? I wanna show Beth!"

"It's in Noah's car sweetie. You can show her later. Let's get you a bath first and put on some regular clothes." Callie pouts in response.

"Don't worry Beth isn't putting on her costume until later either." I tell her.

Santana takes Callie into the bathroom to get dressed and I finish up breakfast. They're back in about 15 minutes and I serve everyone. Puck, being the human garbage disposal that he is, also got a plate while Santana just stole bacon and sausage off of Callie's plate. Costa was in the living room playing with some of Beth's toys that were out. He sounded like he was having a lot of fun.

* * *

 **Santana's POV**

I couldn't help but sneak a few pieces of bacon of Callie's plate. I was a bit self conscious after what Costa said but I was really hungry and the bacon smelled special, like it was made specifically for me. She wasn't going to eat it all anyway.

"So where's my Jewish princess?" Noah asks.

"She has a name Puck." Quinn snaps. "She's not here. She's...at her fathers' house."

"Uh oh trouble in paradise?" He smirks.

Quinn tenses. "No she just hasn't been to see her dads. Now shut up."

"Sure." Quinn takes her plate and slams it in the sink before walking out. "Aww come on Q I was just joking!" Noah calls after her.

"I'll go see if she wants to start setting up." I tell him before following after Quinn. "Where did Quinn go mijo?" I ask Costa once I'm in the living room. He points to the front door.

I find her sitting on her porch swing, swaying slowly with a sad, far off look in her eyes. I sit down next to her.

"Hey." I start. "Are you okay?"

"Yea it's just...why don't I know anything about you?" She blurts out.

"I-uh what do you want to know?"

"I don't know. Anything. Everything."

"Well I'm from uhh Boston. I went to college for a year but didn't finish once I got pregnant. Umm I'm an only child. I-"

"Where did you go to school?" She interrupts me.

"I went to NYU." I don't want to give too many real details from my past life.

"And that's where you met their dad?" I nod. "Where is he?"

"He uh, he died." I say.

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry." She pulls me into a tight hug.

"It's fine."

"That's why you don't want to talk about him. I'm so sorry about Rachel asking all those questions. And her interrogating Callie. She can be a bitch sometimes. I'm sorry. Oh god and your baby. It had to have been recent." She covers her mouth as soon as she says the last part. I look back at her in shock.

"Y-you know?" I ask.

"I'm sorry. Frannie accidentally told me last night. She mentioned you had morning sickness and it wasn't my food that made you sick. Well it kinda was but not really. She thought that I knew already. She didn't mean to. Please don't tell on her." Quinn let's out in one breath.

* * *

 **Quinn's POV**

Santana still hasn't said anything. Suddenly she stands up and runs inside the house.

"Santana! Wait!" I call after her. She keeps going. "Dammit." I move to go in after her and see Costa staring at me from the doorway. How hadn't we noticed him? "How long have you been standing there?"

He shrugged. "You're not supposed to talk about daddy. Now she's sad." He says with a frown.

* * *

"Quinn?" Costa calls out as I'm sitting on the couch. Santana has been in the bathroom for the past 20 minutes. She refuses to come out.

"Yeah buddy?"

"Am I gonna have a brother or a sister? I hope it's a brother cause I need help protecting Mami and Callie."

"I'm not sure yet. Your mom won't find out for a while. The baby has to get a little bigger." What do they need protecting from? Maybe he just feels like he has to be the 'man of the house' since his dad is gone so I ignore that bit.

"Oh." He pauses. "Quinn?"

"Yes?"

"I don't want my daddy to come back. And I know mami doesn't either." What the hell, what does he mean by that?

"Why not?"

He shrugs his shoulders and looks down at his feet.

I squat down to his level and look him in the eye. "You heard what me and your mom were talking about right?" He nods. "Do you know what it means when someone is dead?" He nods again.

"They don't come back, but daddy isn't dead! He's just a stupid meanie!" He shouts, startling me in the process.

"Sweetie you daddy isn't going to come back."

"You promise?" He asks with tears in his eyes.

"I-I promise." I say hoping I don't break that promise. I'm going to have to have a real talk with Santana about their father. After Beth's party of course.

* * *

"I-I'm sorry." She tells me when she finally comes out of the bathroom.

"You have nothing to apologize for San." I reply. I'll ask her what Costa meant later.

We go check on the girls in Beth's room, they have Puck in make-up. He looks like the Joker honestly. I burst out laughing and Santana is trying desperately to hold hers in.

"You look adorable." She tells him and it stops my laughter almost immediately. "I take it Callie did your lips?"

Puck nods and then starts voguing, making Santana laugh even harder.

"I did his eyes and hair!" Beth exclaims. We all laugh again and then I hear the front door open. I know it's Rachel and I don't want to deal with her, not right now.

"Jew babe!" Puck shouts when she walks into the kitchen.

"Noah." She replies with a small smile then looks at me. "Hey Quinn."

"You grabbed the wrong phone." I say, holding out her phone. "A guy named Brody called. It seemed pretty urgent, maybe you should call him back _**babe**_." I give her a pointed look with my eyebrow raised.

"Yea I realized that when I kept getting texts from Santana." She challenges me.

"Oh, you mean about helping me set up the party for _**our**_ daughter that you haven't even bothered to help with at all?" She scoffs.

"Hey Beth why don't you guys go play in your room." Puck says. "Ladies chill out. What the hell is going on?"

"I-I think I'll go join them in Beth's room." Santana says quietly, heading towards the hallway.

"No. You stay." Rachel commands and Santana freezes. "I'm talking about the loving goodnight texts Quinn!"

"She's not a fucking dog Rachel." I growl.

"Seriously what the fuck guys?" Puck asks again. "It's Beth's day, so whatever shit you two have going on, put it on hold."

"Did you sleep with her too Puck? Is that why she's your Jewish princess, your Jew babe?!"

"What? No, she's like a sister to me Q. I wouldn't do that to you. You know me better than that."

"I thought I knew Rachel too but she's been fucking some asshole named Brody behind my back for god knows how long!" I say with tears in my eyes.

"Everybody CHILL THE FUCK OUT!" Puck shouts, silencing everybody. Santana rushes off in the direction of the bathroom again.

"Seriously what is wrong with her?" Rachel asks, referring to Santana.

"Rachel shut the hell up!" Puck yells again. "This is my daughter's day and she will fucking enjoy it. You two can deal with your bullshit drama tomorrow."

"Sorry." We both say quietly, hanging out heads in shame. I go to the bathroom to check on Santana.

"Santana?" I call to her. She doesn't respond at all. I knock softly and call her name again. Still nothing. Just as I'm about to go in, the door opens and she comes out.

"Sorry I-I umm, I felt nauseous and didn't want to puke on your floor." She tells me.

"No need to apologize. Do you want to lay down?"

"N-no I'm fine. Maybe the twins and I should just come back when the party starts. I-I don't want any trouble." She says.

"Hey, don't worry about her. Stay as long as you'd like. Please." I say putting my hand on her arm to keep her from walking away.

"Mommy Costa is crying!" I hear Beth yell from her room. Santana rips her arm from mine and rushes to the kids. When I get to the room Santana is cradling Costa in her arms while he cries.

 **Santana's POV**

"What happened?" I asked the girls. They both shrug.

"I don't know he was just sitting there and then we heard daddy yell and then he was crying." Beth tells me.

"Shhh mijo it's okay. I'm okay. No llores." He hiccups as I comfort him. "Mírame, I'm fine I promise."

"Is he okay?" Quinn asks me as she comes in the room.

"Yeah the uhh, the yelling scared him a bit. That's all." I tell her and my eyes cut to Noah who is now standing behind Quinn. He looks away slightly embarrassed. Then he walks over to Costa and I, crouching down in front of him.

"Hey little dude. I'm sorry for yelling. I didn't mean to scare you. I just sometimes have to talk louder to make sure people hear me."

"No you're mean. You're not supposed to yell at mami." He says and then buries his face in my neck. Noah backs away and Costa mumbles something that I can't quite understand.

"What was that mijo?"

He lifts his head up and looks at me, "I think he's a bad dinosaur like daddy." He stage whispers.

"Did your father yell a lot?" Rachel asks, obviously having heard what he said. Noah looks at me expectantly waiting for an answer. Quinn looks uncomfortable and turns to Rachel.

"That isn't any of your business." She tells her and then turns back to me. "You ready to start setting up for the party?"

I go to respond but hesitate, my eyes darting down to Costa. I don't want to leave him. I'm not sure he'd be comfortable. She notices and takes him from my arms.

"Costa can help us too. We're gonna need all the muscle we can get." She says while tickling him causing him to giggle. "So how about it big guy, wanna help us?" He nods and I mouth a 'thank you' to Quinn.

* * *

We finished setting up about an hour before the party started. After I got the twins dressed in their costumes. They looked adorable. Quinn snapped a few pictures of them before the party officially started and a bunch more during.

In the beginning, Costa stood next me as still as possible pretending to be an actual knight. I tried to get him to go and play with the other kids a bunch of times but he refused. Quinn eventually got him to go play by promising him the second biggest piece of cake because Beth was obviously getting the biggest piece.

I mostly made small talk with the other parents that were there. I didn't want anyone, mainly Quinn, to corner me and ask about Adrian. I know they had questions after what Costa said earlier.

Luck isn't on my side though at the end of the party, as Noah and Quinn corner me after I come out of the bathroom.

"San can we talk for a bit?" Quinn asks.

"Umm...we should get back to the party."

"It's over and we'll be quick, I promise."

"Look Q has noticed some things." Noah starts. "And frankly, so have I. In both you and the little guy. You're both-"

"We agreed I would do the talking. San I just noticed that Costa is a little clingy and you...you're really nervous and jumpy and-"

"Was your husband abusing you and the kids?" Noah blurts out angrily causing me to jump.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 ** _Sorry._**

 **Quinn's POV**

I glare at Puck for not even trying to ease into the conversation.

"W-what? I don't know what you're talking about." Santana stammers. "I told you, my husband he-he's d-dead."

"San, you can tell us. He's dead, he can't hurt you anymore." I tell her. As I reach out to place a hand on her arm, she flinches.

"See?! That's exactly what we're talking about." Puck says. "Was the bastard abusing you?"

"Puck!" I hiss. "That's enough. Go check on the kids. Now." He huffs and stomps away. I turn my attention back to Santana. "San, sweetie talk to me."

"I.. No. He's dead. I need to go home." Santana says backing away from me into the wall.

"Santana it's okay. Relax, it's just me." I say trying to calm her down.

"Please can I go home? I need to go home." She's crying now.

"Jesus is this all she does? Cower and fucking cry?" Rachel says as she walks in from the backyard.

"Rachel you need to leave. Go home."

"That's funny, I thought I was home." She replies.

"No. We're done Rachel. You need to leave. I'll have the rest of your things packed soon. I'll text you when you can pick them up."

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Rachel is seething. "You're leaving me for a fucking pathe-"

"GET OUT!"

"Quinn you can't be serious."

"Rachel, please leave." I stated exasperatedly. "We can talk later because right now you're not helping the situation."

She rushes past me grabbing her purse and car keys and then storms out of the house, slamming the door behind her. When I turn my attention back to Santana, she's racing down the hall towards Beth's room.

"Come on mija, we're leaving." She tells Callie. Costa is already at her side.

"But mami quiero quedarme!" Callie whines with a pout.

"Callie please. We have to go baby. Get your things." Santana says sternly.

"San relax, you don't have to leave." Puck tells her while grabbing her arm. Santana freezes and he immediately lets go, raising his hands up. "Sorry."

"Jesus Puck." I roll my eyes at him. "Get the twins and their things and put them in my car. Beth sweetie why don't you go get ready for your bath."

"But mommy it's my birthday." She whines.

"I know baby but that doesn't mean you get to be sticky and stinky." She pouts before dramatically storming off into her closet. Ugh she's seen Rachel do that too many times. I turn back to San, who's still frozen in her spot. "San come on let's get you home."

I gently place my hand on her back causing her to flinch. Her eyes dart over to me and she relaxes enough for me to walk her to my car.

"Q, you might as well let me drive her home. I live right across the hall from her." Puck says as I buckle her in.

I close the door and make my way over to the driver's side before responding. "I don't think that's a good idea seeing as how right now you're the problem. Just get Beth in the bath and ready for bed. I'll be back in a bit."

 **LINE BREAK**

The ride to San's place was super quiet. The twins fell asleep as soon as I drove off and Santana was just staring out the window the entire time.

"San, we're here." I say softly. I get no response. "San?"

"I'm sorry." She responds in a shaky voice. "I didn't mean to ruin Beth's birthday."

"Hey it's alright. You didn't. Let's get the twins in bed." I tell her. She nods and grabs Callie with her good arm while I get Costa. We take off their costumes and tuck them in. "San can I talk to you before I leave? Please?"

"Umm y-yeah sure." I follow her into the living room. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Well first of all, I'm sorry about Puck. He means well, he's just acts before he thinks 100 percent of the time." She nods. "Now I know you don't want to talk about this but Costa heard our conversation when we were on the porch. Do the twins not know that their father died? Costa says he's not dead and that he's a 'big meanie'."

"H-he's not dead." She responds barely above a whisper. "I just, it was a really nasty divorce and I didn't want to talk about it or him at all." She says a bit louder.

"And what about what Acosta said? About him being mean? Was he abusive San?"

She shakes her head. "He spoiled Callie and Costa was a bit jealous about that most of the time. He yelled a lot and Costa's seen me cry a few times because of him. That's all."

"Sorry for prying. I, well we all were just worried about you."

"I umm, I'm really tired and I'd like to go to sleep now. I'll see you later." She gets up and walks towards her bedroom, closing the door quietly.

I just sit there for a moment, not really sure what to do. Then I hear a door open, thinking it's Santana I hop up. "Sorry, I was just leaving."

"Quinn?" It isn't Santana, it's Callie.

"Hey sweetie. What are you doing up?" She comes over and sits next to me on the couch rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Do you and Rachel kiss like a mommy and daddy supposed to kiss?" That definitely caught me off guard.

"Uhh yeah we do sometimes. Why do you ask?"

"Is it okay to do that?"

"Yes. If you love someone enough, you are allowed to show them." I tell her.

"So does that mean mami loves Sarah and not daddy? That's why daddy isn't coming back?"

"Sweetie why do you think your mami loves Sarah?"

"Cause they were kissing!" She exclaims. "I was going to the bathroom and they were downstairs and she kissed mami!"

"Callie, I can't answer those questions for you." I answer. "I don't know who Sarah is and I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for what you saw or thought you saw. Now come on, let's get you back into bed."

I tuck Callie into bed next to Costa and then make my exit. The drive home is spent thinking about Santana and whoever this Sarah chick is. Was Santana cheating on her husband? No she doesn't seem like the type. But then again, who knows? I never thought Rachel would be the type to cheat and apparently I was wrong.

 **LINE BREAK**

 **Santana's POV**

Quinn must have sat there a while before she finally left. I didn't hear the door close until about 20 minutes after I came into my room. I'm not sure why I told Quinn the truth. Well at least some of the truth. Hopefully it will stop her from asking more questions about him.

It was almost impossible for me to sleep but eventually exhaustion took over and I got a few hours in.

 **LINE BREAK**

Waking up was not as hard as falling asleep when the twins are awake and hungry.

"Mami we want pancakes!" Callie says jumping onto the pull out couch with me, Costa not far behind.

"Mija, indoor voices and sit still." I tell her. "Let mami rest for a little bit longer and then we'll get ready and go to the diner. Okay?"

"But mami we want Quinn pancakes." She pouts.

"And bacon. She makes lots." Costa adds.

"Baby I don't think that's such a good idea. Quinn is probably really tired from the party yesterday. And I'm sure they're still asleep."

"Pero mami!" Costa whines.

"She's busy. That's final. We'll go over later okay?" I tell them.

 **LINE BREAK**

 **Adrian's POV**

"Tell me again." I command the private investigator.

"She went to the hospital around midnight under her maiden name, Lopez. Her arm was broken. They gave her a cast and a prescription." He tells me. "I-it appears that she was with child. There was a prescription for prenatal vitamins."

"It's been a fucking month and all you can tell me is that she went to the hospital the night she disappeared?!" I'm losing my patience. "How is that you can tell me what a potential client had for breakfast three months ago, but you can't find a fucking pregnant woman traveling alone with two small children?"

"I-I'm sorry. It seems that she has been using cash. She must have been saving up for a while. There has been no credit card activity other than your own. She hasn't contacted her parents or anyone else she may have known. Your neighbor doesn't seem to know anything either, sir."

"She has to know something. She's always nosing around in other people's business. Especially when it comes to my wife." I respond. "I want around the clock surveillance on her. Her husband too. I don't care the cost. Just find my fucking family!"

"Yes sir. I'll notify you of any updates as soon as possible." He hurries out of my office.

I can't believe she left. And she took my kids with her. I've been trying to keep everything under wraps but it is getting harder and harder the longer she is gone. My parents keep asking about them. I told them I sent the twins to a boarding school in France and Santana decided to go along because she didn't want them to be on there own in a foreign place. And she just wasn't ready to be apart from them.

A knock on my door brings me from my thoughts.

"Come in." I say and in walks my secretary. "What can I do for you Alice?"

"Your mother is in the waiting room. She insisted on seeing you now even though I told her you were extremely busy."

"Nonsense, I always have time for my mother. Send her in." She nods with a smile and leaves to retrieve my mother.

"Adrian, _baiatul meu dulce_." She greets me with a kiss on both cheeks.

"Hello mother, how are you?"

"I would be much better if I got to see my grandchildren!" She responds. "It's been far too long. I miss the my beautiful _nora_ too. They don't call or anything. It is like they have forgotten all about Vlad and I. Will they be back for the holidays at least?"

"I know, I know. I miss them too. You know with the time zones being different Santana is being considerate. She doesn't want to wake us up. It is a six hour difference mama."

"They could at least email or call on weekends Adrian!"

"Okay okay. I will talk to her about calling. And don't worry ma, they will definitely be here for the holidays. You can count on it." I assure her. "Now I have a lot of work to do. I will be over for dinner tonight and we can talk more then. Alright?"

"Fine." She sighs. She gets up preparing to leave but I stop her.

"Oh and mother I have amazing news."

"What is it?"

"Santana is pregnant! She just found out a couple of days ago and could not wait to tell me."

"Oh how wonderful! Surely when they come back for the holidays they will be staying here, yes? She can't deal with the pregnancy and the twins on her own."

"Of course ma. She isn't alone there now, she has a small staff to help with the children when needed but she will definitely be staying here with us. I'll just have to find a school good enough for the twins here."

With that, I kiss my mother goodbye and send her on her way. My family will be together again soon. I'm sure of it.

 **LINE BREAK**

 ** _baiatul meu dulce - my sweet boy_**

 ** _nora - daughter-in-law_**

 **LINE BREAK**

 **So I reread all that I have posted so far and no one told me how many mistakes I've made. I literally cringed reading them.**

 **Anyway sorry about the wait. I suck. It took me forever to write this. I proofread it but just barely so there were probably some mistakes in this chapter too.**

 **Hope you guys are still reading. I promise to try and update more often, it's just that I work 11/12 hour graveyard shifts and I am always tired. Also, writing just isn't really my thing(I'm more of a math person tbh). I don't know what I was thinking when I started writing this lol I just had this idea and knew that if I sent it as a prompt to another writer, it definitely would not have turned out the way that I wanted it to.**

 **Tl;dr - Just know that I am trying really hard to crank out chapters and get this story finished. Thanks for all the favs, follows, and reviews.**

 **P.S. - Follow me on twitter @TasteOMediocrty. Bug me. Urge me to finish this story. Ask any questions you may have and I will answer them to the best of my abilities.**

 **-ToM**


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